


Old Sins

by Book_Squirrel



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged Up, Comedy to Tragedy, Drama, Druken Adventures, Emotional Healing, F/M, Fashion & Couture, LadyNoir - Freeform, Lost Miraculous, Married adrinette, Murder, Plot Driven, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Pregnancy, Revenge, miraculous five, new Hawkmoth, power couples
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2020-02-08 14:43:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 33
Words: 77,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18625351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Book_Squirrel/pseuds/Book_Squirrel
Summary: Newlyweds Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng are enjoying their new life together as they wrap up university and begin their professional lives. Everything changes when a new Butterfly Holder unleashes a fresh wave of terror on the citizens of Paris. As they work against the new holder, they discover that old sins have extremely long shadows.





	1. The Gala

 

Nathalie exhaled and pulled the zipper up another half-inch. It slid back an inch and a half.

A knock sounded on the door. ‘Nathalie?’

‘Come in.’

Marinette stepped in. ‘I can’t get my zipper up.’

‘That makes two of us.’ Nathalie stopped fighting her own side zipper and looked at Marinette’s. ‘Turn around.’

The twenty-one-year-old turned around and exposed her open back. Her hair had two side-braids culminating in a low knot at the base of her skull.

‘Breathe out.’

Marinette obeyed and Nathalie zipped the dress up easily. It fit the girl perfectly. The dress itself was of black silk. The bodice had a black and purple lace overlay which tapered out just below her hips before the black silk dipped into a tight mermaid silhouette.

Only when looking again did the butterflies in the lace pattern reveal themselves.

‘Thanks,’ said Marinette, smoothing her tight skirt. ‘Do you need help at all?’

‘Can you get this zipper for me?’ Nathalie held her arm up.

Marinette struggled with it, grunting and muttering. ‘It doesn’t want to go up anymore. Or I’m not strong enough. When was your last fitting?’

‘Two weeks ago.’

Nathalie’s phone buzzed. She picked it up and read the text. _The limo is here_.

She texted back, _Struggling with the zipper._

A moment later, Gabriel knocked before entering. ‘What’s the matter with it?’

Nathalie motioned to the zipper. ‘I can’t get it up.’

Marinette excused herself and ran to grab her shoes.

Gabriel studied the zipper. ‘Reach up and breathe out.’

Nathalie lifted her arms over her head and exhaled as much as possible.

Gabriel pulled the fabric together and ran the zipper the rest of its length. He fastened the hook-and-eye at the top and stepped back. ‘Don’t forget to—’

‘I know.’ Nathalie turned around, bent over, and adjusted her breasts. When she stood up, the room spun before settling. ‘You didn’t need to make the bodice quite so tight.’

‘I assure you, it perfectly matches your measurements.’

‘Must be my cycle, then.’

Gabriel looked her up and down.  

She placed a hand on her hip and walked about slowly. The straight neckline and off the shoulder straps skirted the edge of acceptable for a white-tie event. Embroidered chiffon wrapped around her hip and draped over her lower stomach. The rest flowed out behind her in imitation of a peacock’s train.

Nathalie stepped into her shoes. She wore her hair in a soft up-do, curled strands framing her face. Contacts instead of glasses allowed the dramatic yet sophisticated makeup to stand out.

Gabriel clicked his tongue and walked around her, even sitting on the bed at one point. He shook his head. ‘Go downstairs. Make sure Marinette waits before getting in the car.’

Nathalie grabbed her long black evening gloves and made her way to the front hall.

Adrien stood by the front door. Like his father, he was dressed for the white-tie event: black tails, white tie and waistcoat. He looked up at the stairs and whistled. ‘You look great, Nathalie. Is _Le Paon Noir_ Paris’ newest superhero?’

She laughed. ‘Please, I’d obviously be the femme fatale.’

‘Revealed at the end of the season to be the actual threat behind it all?’

‘Something like.’ She adjusted her step-son’s bow-tie and smoothed his waistcoat. ‘You look incredibly smart.’

Adrien looked over the shoulder at the stairs. His mouth dropped open and a faint gasp struggled out.

Nathalie turned and saw Marinette walking down the stairs, one gloved hand on the bannister. She stood on the landing and spun around before joining the other two.

Adrien continued to stare.

Nathalie thumped him on the back. ‘Breathe.’

He gasped and obeyed. ‘You look amazing, my Lady. You deserve to be properly kissed.’

Marinette stopped him when he tried to kiss her lips. ‘Don’t touch the artwork.’ She held out her hand.

Adrien maintained eye contact as he kissed her knuckles.

Gabriel jogged down the stairs, two flat velvet boxes tucked under his arm. His other hand carried a large square one.

He set the boxes on the table and opened the larger one. ‘Marinette, come here.’ He pulled out the box’s glittering contents.

‘Mother’s tiara?’ said Adrien.

‘Nothing less for your princess.’

Marinette’s eyes were huge as Gabriel tucked the tiara into her hair, arranging the hair around it. He nodded, satisfied. ‘There’s a matching bracelet and earrings. Adrien?’ He handed his son the smallest of the boxes.

Gabriel opened the medium-sized box and took out an elaborate diamond and sapphire collar. Matching earrings and a bracelet winked from within. 

Nathalie’s heart dropped into her stomach. If it could find room to squeeze in against the bodice’s boning, that is. ‘Those are Emilie’s.’

‘They are Agreste family jewels. Turn around.’

He fastened the collar around her neck and fastened the earrings on. As she slid the bracelet on, he slid a hand over her shoulder.

‘You look stunning.’ His lips caressed her ear.

She reached up and placed a hand on his. ‘We’re going to be late.’

They tucked her train over one arm and stepped into the chill November air.

Adrien and Marinette were laughing by the car.

Marinette was about to step into the limousine but stopped when she saw Nathalie. ‘Wow!’

Adrien turned around. ‘Whoa!’

‘You look like Regina Mills,’ said Marinette.

‘Regina?’ said Gabriel.

‘From _Once Upon a Time_ ,’ said Nathalie. ‘She’s the Evil Queen.’

‘Snow White’s step-moth—oh.’ Marinette ducked into the car, beet red.

Nathalie said, ‘I promise not to give either of you anything apple related.’

Adrien hugged her before climbing into the car.

The car delivered them to Le Grand Paris in record time.

‘Neither too late nor too early,’ said Gabriel, tucking his phone into his breast pocket. He stepped out onto the red carpet amidst the exploding flashbulbs.

Nathalie slid across the seat, adjusted the bodice quickly, and stepped out, taking her boss’, no, her husband’s waiting arm. Two years of marriage and she could still trip up.

A hush settled over the crowd at the couple’s appearance.

A flashbulb popped.

The spell was broken and the questions became a blur of nonsense noise.

They walked down, arm in arm.

‘I think they like it,’ said Nathalie in Gabriel’s ear, smiling coyly as she made direct eye contact with a reporter’s camera.

He slid his arm from hers and settled his hand at the small of her back, his thumb brushing her lower back, his pinkie touching her train. ‘I intend to give them plenty to discuss.’

A chorus of oohs and ahhs made them glance backwards.

Adrien stood with his arm around Marinette. The tiara glittered brightly on her head. They walked up the red carpet, smiling for the cameras, every bit the ideal of young love.

‘Disgusting,’ said Nathalie, shaking her head.

‘Yes, isn’t it,’ said Gabriel in a bemused tone.

He grinned when she gave him a dirty look.

In the ballroom, a string quintet played in one corner. Waiters in black with white aprons weaved their way through the guests, trays of champagne flutes in hand.

Gabriel snagged two flutes and handed one to Nathalie. With one hand firmly on the flute and the other needed for shaking hands, he could keep his customary posturing to a minimum.

Adrien and Marinette joined them soon after. Adrien collected flutes of champagne for himself and Marinette. He looked over his father’s shoulder and gulped. ‘I’ll be back.’

He disappeared into the crowd towards the bathrooms.

‘What was that about?’ said Marinette.

 Nathalie shifted her position and scanned the crowd. ‘Probably one of the more aggressive models.’

‘Enough to make Adrien run away? He’s too nice for that.’

Before Nathalie could say anything, Gabriel soared several inches into the air.

‘You smug Victorian patriarch!’ cried a heavily accented voice. ‘You’ve done it again.’

Straight as a pin, Gabriel said, ‘Pleasure to see you as always, Miguel.’

‘Miguel, please put him down,’ said Nathalie.

‘Anything for you, Señora.’

Marinette stared. The man was at least as big as her Papa and wore turquoise rhinestone glasses.

Miguel put Gabriel down, clapped him on the shoulders, and spun on his heel to kiss Nathalie on both cheeks. ‘Señora Sancoeur, you are truly radiant tonight, absolutely glowing! Surely you must have a lover for there is no other reason you could have such a glow about you.’

Immediately, Nathalie’s face dropped back into her once familiar secretarial glower, one eyebrow cocked.

Gabriel put a hand on his wife’s shoulder.

‘Apologies. I forget that you two finally married. My congratulations on finding happiness.’ He winked. ‘If two such as yourselves can find that amongst your spreadsheets and needles.’

Miguel bowed quickly and turned to Marinette. ‘But what is this delectable scrap of exoticness? I am Miguel Zaragoza of _La Familia_ Designs. Your dress is lovely, _preciosa_.’ He bowed to her and spun back around. ‘But Gabriel, this dress—what was your inspiration?’

He walked around Nathalie, studying the black dress. He knelt by the six-foot train and fluffed it out to its full length. ‘Black on black embroidery in peacock eyes—but, oh!’ He looked up and grinned, dark eyes dancing. ‘Blue and green embroidery as well, just a touch here and there. The more I look, the more I find.’

‘Don’t miss the purple embroidery,’ said Marinette, fluffing out the train.  

‘Yes, I see it now. You need a fan, Señora,’ said Miguel, still running the embroidered chiffon through his hands. ‘That is the only thing missing from this ensemble.’

Gabriel frowned.

‘I’ll keep it in mind,’ said Nathalie tersely, well aware that fans had been Emilie Agreste’s signature accessory.

‘Find something interesting?’ said a white-haired woman who looked like she had run solely on cigarettes and black coffee for the last forty years.

‘Good evening, Estelle,’ said Gabriel.

She acknowledged him with a wave of her cigarette-less hand.

‘Estelle, look at this.’ Miguel looked up. ‘Again, what was your inspiration?’

Gabriel straightened his shoulders. ‘My wife during an argument: Proud as a peacock and dark as the night.’

Miguel flashed Nathalie a saucy grin. ‘What did you do to him?’

Nathalie’s face had returned to one of social politeness. ‘I’m afraid we both signed an NDA concerning my revenge. The dress is his apology.’

Miguel laughed heartily.

‘You’ve done well, Gabriel,’ said Estelle, studying the garment. She turned to Marinette and looked her dress up and down. ‘But this—Purple butterflies? Someone certainly likes living on the edge after that Hawkmoth debacle.’

Marinette blushed and stood straight, head up, shoulders back. The tiara’s weight shifted.

‘It has all the classic lines, and yet...’ Estelle walked around, holding her champagne flute in a way to avoid spilling anything on the dress. ‘I may have to order one for my niece’s wedding. She loves the bateau neck look right now.’

‘It has pockets.’ Marinette slipped her hands into the special feature, thankful for something to do with her hands.

‘Gabriel put pockets in one of his evening gowns?’ Estelle shot him a sly look. ‘You must really approve of her.’

‘It’s one-time deal.’ Gabriel sipped his champagne.

Miguel draped Nathalie’s train about her and stood up. ‘Since when do you make deals?’

‘Since my son’s wife has the potential to become a future competitor.’

Miguel and Estelle looked at Marinette with renewed interest.

Estelle said, ‘You’re a designer?’

Marinette blushed. ‘I haven’t finished university yet but I’ve had several successful internships.’

‘And won several design competitions starting in—what? When you were in _collège_?’ Miguel chuckled. ‘I remember Audrey discussing how impressed she was with the hat you made.’

‘To your success, mademoiselle.’ Estelle tapped Marinette’s champagne flute with hers. ‘I look forward to seeing you take your rightful place amongst the other designers. Come, Miguel. I want to see how you dressed Ramona for tonight.’

‘ _Si, si._ Nothing but the best for Ramona...’

Nathalie let out a sigh of relief. ‘That was a whirlwind.’

Adrien appeared a minute later. The champagne had turned into a Scotch on the rocks. ‘What did I miss?’

Marinette wrapped her arm around Adrien’s. ‘Everything. Your dad was hugged before getting insulted, Nathalie got a back-handed compliment, and I got thrown into the ring as a potential threat.’

Gabriel downed the last of his champagne and handed it off to a waiter.

Adrien grinned. ‘And I missed it? Sorry about the insult, Nathalie. Miguel?’

‘Isn’t it always?’ said Gabriel.

‘Why did you disappear?’ said Marinette.

‘Estelle Dickenson is a nightmare if she decides she likes you.’

‘What if she doesn’t like you?’

‘Then she pretends you don’t exist.’ Adrien shuddered. ‘She’s the one who started the whole “you look just like your father” business when I was sixteen. Do you remember it in the magazines?’

Marinette smiled dreamily. ‘That was a great summer. So many more pictures of you to hang up.’

Adrien gave her a sharp look. ‘Really?’

She gagged. ‘No, it was the worst. Alya hid the face-morph-thingy from one cover in the back of my locker one day. Chloe teased me for a week for screaming.’

A thin woman with long brown hair strolled over to them. Her white dress hugged her hips before flowing out to the floor. With her gliding stride, it almost look like she was walking on clouds.

Marinette choked on her drink.

‘Is that Lila Rossi?’ said Adrien.

‘I thought you said she wasn’t going to be here,’ hissed Gabriel in Nathalie’s ear.

‘She must have gotten in as a plus one,’ said Nathalie quickly. ‘Go talk with one of the other designers.’

Gabriel made a detour by the bar.

‘Adrien! So good to see you.’ Lila leaned in to kiss his cheeks.

Adrien rose to his full height, his face just beyond her reach. He plastered the politest of smiles on his face. ‘Good evening, Lila.’

Marinette cleared her throat. ‘I didn’t know you were back in Paris, Lila.’

‘Oh, well,’ said the young woman with her signature nasal giggle, ‘it’s so hard keeping up with old classmates. My parents contributed a lot of money to the charity function, and it would be so _rude_ to keep any of their family away from this amazing experience.’

She smiled at Marinette but side-eyed Nathalie. ‘Where’s your father, Adrien? I love his designs and wanted to tell him how great everything looked at the Spring Fashion Week. I had front row seats, and you looked absolutely divine!’

‘I wasn’t in any of the spring shows,’ said Adrien.

Lila tilted her head. ‘But surely—’

‘Marinette and I were on our honeymoon.’

‘Silly me! I must have meant the Fall Fashion Week designs. But I would love to see your father. I’m sure he remembers me.’

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck and turned red. ‘Uh, well, Mom, do you know where Father disappeared to?’

Nathalie jerked alert at the invoked Mom-code. ‘He went to speak with Monsieur Lefèvre, I believe.’ She smiled blandly at Lila. ‘He’ll be sorry to have missed you, Miss Rossi.’

‘I’m sure. I had a question—’

‘Have a good evening, Miss Rossi.’ Nathalie gave the faintest smile.

‘But I wanted—’

‘Good evening.’

Lila glared before sauntering off, a hand placed on her hip.

Adrien shuddered. ‘How long do we have to remain at this thing?’

‘At least until midnight,’ said Nathalie. ‘But if Miss Rossi is here, we may all have to cut our visit as short as possible.’

‘Any special reason why?’ said Marinette.

‘Too long and sensitive a story for here.’

‘Thanks for letting me invoke the Mom-code,’ said Adrien.  

Nathalie gave him a genuine smile. ‘I’m glad you can use it.’

‘All right, losers,’ arms surrounded Adrien and Marinette from behind. Chloe perched her chin on Adrien’s shoulder. ‘This party’s boring. What do you say about making it more interesting?’

‘No way,’ said Adrien. ‘I know what “interesting” means when you’re around.’

‘What did you bring?’ said Marinette.

‘Smuggled in some bottles of kahlua from Mexico. Jean-Pierre put them behind the bar for us later.’

‘Black or White Russians?’

‘I’m tempted to try a Mind Eraser.’

Adrien wrapped an arm around Chloe. ‘Did you have another fight with Nathaniel?’

‘For once, no. He has an exhibition in Stuttgart.’ A gleam came into her eyes. ‘Think we can get the DJ to play the Macarena?’

‘That meme is so dead that archaeologists are allowed to have at it without worry.’

Marinette glanced at Adrien. ‘Really? We’re going back to memes?’

‘Without them, life would be meme-less.’

Chloe and Marinette exchanged glances over their glasses.

‘Oh, boy,’ said Chloe.

‘It’s going to be a long night,’ said Marinette. ‘Where’s the kahlua again?’


	2. No Need for Sobriety

‘I understand this is a fundraising gala,’ said the young man, ‘but is it really necessary to spend so much money to raise it?’

Gabriel’s grip tightened around his glass of cognac. ‘If the world could be saved by everyone wearing ill-fitting suits,’ he eyed the journalist’s outfit, ‘then it would be a much better place by now.’

‘I just want to say that—Oh, shit.’ The journalist’s eyes grew huge at the sight of something behind Gabriel. ‘Have a good evening, Mr Agreste.’

The owner of the poorly tailored suit sprinted to the other side of the room.

A hand touched lightly on Gabriel’s shoulder.

He flinched at Lila Rossi smiling up at him. Her red-lipped smile would perfectly grace a perfume ad.

Not that she would ever appear in anything for Agreste Fashions. Not while he and Marinette were around to run the company, at the very least.

‘Good evening, Gabriel.’ Her perfume and demeanour were better suited for a woman twice her age. ‘I missed you when saying hello to your little family. Adrien looks even more handsome than when we were in school together.’

‘Marriage to Marinette was one of the best things to ever happen to him.’

Seeing Miss Rossi’s snarl at the mention of her nemesis’ name was one of the more satisfying things had come out of the evening so far. Gabriel drained the last of his drink and signalled for another.

A waiter took the glass and returned shortly with a fresh one, generously filled.

Lila shrugged her shoulders. ‘I’m sure they’re perfectly suited to each other. The magazines are full of their romance.’

Gabriel inched away from the young woman. ‘Is there something I can help you with, Miss Rossi?’

She gave a shrill laugh, slipping even closer.

People stared before returning to their conversations.

‘I just wanted to say hello, Gabriel.’ Her fingers curled around his forearm. In a low voice, she said, ‘It’s been so long since we’ve had time alone together.’

He tried to pull his arm away.

Lila’s grip tightened. A finger played with his bowtie. ‘I have a suite upstairs.’

‘I am married.’

Green eyes blinked at him, her fingers still playing with his bowtie. ‘I thought your divorce to Madame Agreste was finalized.’

‘My second wife. Miss Sancoeur did me the honour of accepting my offer of marriage two years ago.’

‘A second marriage? At your age?’ Lila gave a light, tinkling laugh.

Gabriel inhaled sharply. He looked around the room for someone, anyone, to start a conversation with.

‘You really are slow on normal life landmarks,’ she said, still laughing. ‘I’m already on my second marriage. But he won’t mind if I spend a night with such,’ her eyes ran over him, ‘such an experienced man as you must be. A true silver fox.’

Heat crept up the back of Gabriel’s neck. ‘Congratulations on your nuptials.’

Lila's hair brushed his dinner jacket. ‘Mommy and Daddy didn’t like my first choice. He was a prince from Mozambique, but he loved me so much. Worshipped the ground I walked on.’

‘Is that in the same thread as when you saved Jagged Stone’s kitten from the airplane?’

She glared at him, the mask temporarily shattered.

‘I decline your proposition. Your husband, whoever he may be, may accept your infidelities. I prefer to remain loyal to my wife.’

The white bowtie slid free of its collar.

‘She doesn’t need to know, silly!’

‘Only a fool underestimates Nathalie Sancoeur.’ Gabriel realised his glass was empty.

Jagged Stone’s signature purple hair was just visible over people’s heads. The aging singer collapsed at a table, singing loudly.

The quintet in the corner played louder.

‘Good evening, Miss Rossi.’ Gabriel yanked himself free of Lila’s grip and worked through the crowd to sit at Jagged Stone’s table. Even the singer’s drunken and drugged up drabble was preferable to Lila Rossi’s pathetic attempts at seduction. ‘Jonathan.’

‘Gabriel, my man!’ shouted the singer, jumping to his feet and embracing the designer.

Why did everyone have to insist on physical greetings at these events?

‘Congratulations on escaping from the Python over there. You look like you need a stiff one after that.’ Jagged Stone caught a waiter by the arm and ordered a bottle of…something. It was impossible to tell with the way the singer garbled his French.

Gabriel finished his drink as the bottle was brought to the table.

Jagged immediately refilled both of their glasses. ‘Is Nath here tonight? She’s usually running interference for anything like that.’

Gabriel winced as he took the glass. ‘You saw that?’

‘Ha! The girl made sure everyone looked over at one point or another! She really needs to work for a tabloid if just because she’s so good with compromising angles.’ Jagged tapped his glass against his teeth. ‘Penny had a field day doing damage control after she sent some stuff out into the Twitter-verse about sleeping with me.’

He refilled both glasses. ‘The thing is that she keeps pursuing the men who aren’t interested in shagging someone young enough to be their daughter.’

‘Daughter? You flatter yourself.’

Jagged roared with laughter. ‘You’re right. We’re almost old enough to be her grandfathers at this point.’

Gabriel refreshed his own drink. There was no way this night was going to end well. No reason to meet it sober.

 Another bottle appeared at the table.

Chloe Bourgeois, a buzzed Marinette in tow, set a bottle of kahlua on the table. She kissed Jagged Stone on the cheek. ‘For helping me out last month.’

He picked up the bottle and studied it. ‘From your trip to Mexico?’

‘The very same.’ Her polished smile turned to a smirk at their rosy faces. ‘Looks like you two have been hard at work.’

Jagged opened the kahlua bottle expertly and poured Gabriel and himself a fresh one. ‘Your old classmate was coming on hard to him.’

Chloe raised an eyebrow. ‘Which classmate?’

‘Lila’s here,’ said Marinette.

‘That bitch is at my fundraiser?’ snapped Chloe, eyes hardening, posture stiffening.

Jagged Stone laughed. ‘Relax; have a drink, Chloe. She donated money. It’s for the kids.’

Chloe _humphed_. ‘She has a thing for Adrien. No one gets away with harassing my friends.’

She sat Marinette at the table before stomping off.

People jumped out of the way of her full black skirts as she charged through the crowd.

‘Never thought I’d be indebted to a Bourgeois,’ said Gabriel.

‘You mean “again”?’ Jagged wagged his eyebrows.

Marinette leaned against the table. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Audrey introduced Gabriel and Emilie at a movie premier. She signed on exclusively for the _Gabriel_ line that night.’ He winked at Marinette.

Marinette looked at her father-in-law, eyes wide with innocence. ‘Oh? What sort of contract?’

‘It wasn’t that night,’ muttered Gabriel into his glass.

‘Pretty sure it was. You were entirely too relaxed the next day for it to be anything else.’ Jagged refilled Marinette’s glass. ‘We wondered if that was what you needed—’

‘Not in front of my daughter-in-law, Jonathan.’

‘It’s Jagged, mate.’ Jagged Stone set the bottle down heavily. ‘And there’s no shame in admitting that Emilie helped you relax. A lot.’

Chloe’s ballroom-style gown filled the space by the table. ‘The lying bitch is on her way out. You have got to file a restraining order against her, Gabriel.’

He shook his head. ‘Legal and PR said it would only fuel rumours.’

‘Then have Adrien or Marinette file the order.’ Chloe pulled a bottle from the depths of her skirt and refreshed everyone’s glasses. ‘It’s utterly ridiculous at this point.’

Marinette groaned and buried her face in her arms. ‘How long until you leave for Harvard?’

Chloe laughed. ‘It’s business law at the Sorbonne, _cherie_. You’re not getting rid of me anytime soon.’ She glanced around the room. ‘Oh, there’s Aurore! Come on!’

She grabbed Marinette’s arm and pulled her across the room.

‘To be young again,’ said Jagged Stone, grinning proudly.

‘If it’s all the same, I’d rather not,’ said Gabriel. His head felt heavy.

‘You were born ancient.’

‘And you’ll never mature.’

‘Fine by me.’ Jagged sat back and hummed.

The words, pounded into his memory by Adrien’s teenage crush and nonstop singing, came back unbidden: _Papillon noir, Paris mystère…_

‘ _Putain_.’ Gabriel chugged the contents of his glass.

 

 

Senator Caquet pumped Adrien’s hand. ‘Many thanks for your donations. We were sure the decimal point had been misplaced when we received the transfer.’

‘No mistake at all. It’s a worthy cause,’ said Adrien, beaming his best public smile. ‘On behalf of the Agreste Foundation, I assure you that the pleasure is mine.’

‘Any thoughts of running for office yet?’

Adrien shook his head. ‘Still have to finish school first.’

The politician laughed. ‘We’ll get that smile of yours into politics, sooner or later.’ He kissed Adrien’s cheeks and wandered off to his next victim.

Adrien gave a sigh of relief. ‘I thought this was a fashion event.’

‘It’s never just a fashion event.’ Nathalie removed her gloves and fanned her face.

‘Are you all right? You’re not looking so well.’

‘Just need to sit down for a moment.’ 

Adrien pushed his sleeve up a little and held the inside of his wrist to her forehead. ‘You feel really warm. Do you want water?’

‘Please. Ask for a club soda.’

‘You hate club soda.’

‘I’ve been having trouble keeping anything without bubbles down.’

His ears would have twitched if he had been transformed in that moment. ‘Be right back.’

Ramona Zaragoza dropped into a chair at the table and kicked her shoes off. ‘That feels so good. Adrien, _lindo,_ get me something, too!’

He waved to the old family friend and shot off to the bar.  

‘That boy,’ said Ramona with a chuckle. ‘How are you doing, Nath? You look like Friday night’s leavings.’

‘You mean the ones that were left out for the dog, right?’ Nathalie rubbed at a piece of boning digging into her ribs.

‘Take your shoes off. You’ll feel better.’

Nathalie closed her eyes at the instant relief. She cleared her head, disappearing into a deep dark place full of spreadsheets and flowcharts.

The table shifted as someone sat down.

‘So,’ said a man’s tenor voice, ‘you’re the E.A. who got her way.’

‘Is that what they’re calling her?’ Ramona tapped her fan against her bicep. ‘Are they also calling her _la puta del_ Agreste as well?’

Nathalie raised an eyebrow at her friend and straightened her back. ‘You appear to have the advantage, Monsieur.’

Ice clinked in his glass. ‘Jeff Brown.’ He played with his cufflinks.

‘Are we supposed to be impressed?’ said Ramona sweetly.

Nathalie sniffed delicately. The product in his hair was neither cheap nor expensive. A trace of acne scars could be seen beneath his makeup. ‘Which tabloid?’

He blinked and nearly dropped his glass. ‘That obvious, huh?’

‘Polyester suits rarely hold up well in a world where knowing where to put the button on a suit jacket can make or break an intern’s interview.’ Nathalie’s earrings brushed her jawline as she surveyed the poorly-tailored suit.  ‘What do you want?’

‘Well, I need to get the full story on the recent turn of events at the Agreste homestead. It was a bit sudden, The Gabriel Agreste Himself suddenly abandoning his search for his wife and marrying his executive assistant.’

 ‘Oh,’ Ramona nudged Nathalie with her arm, ‘that would be a great story for the presses.’

‘Only if they leave out the three years between calling off the search and the wedding.’

The two women studied the man.

‘Fascinating that he’s being so brazen,’ said Ramona. ‘That story is ancient history by now.’  

Jeff grinned. ‘Even in the world of entertainment, two years isn’t exactly ancient.’

Nathalie ran her fingers along the tablecloth. ‘Do you have anything of merit to add to this conversation?’

He looked from one to the other before standing up with a huff. ‘Fine. Sit in your gilded towers of ivory and sneer at the plebeians.’

‘And a very good night to you as well,’ said Nathalie.

Jeff refreshed his smile as Miguel walked over to the table. He held out his hand. ‘Good evening, sir. How—?’

Miguel brushed past him. He leaned over and placed a delicate kiss on his wife’s neck. ‘Is this man bothering you, _mi cielito_?’

‘Behave yourself,’ said Ramona, laughing as she tangled her lacquered nails in his curls. ‘And yes, this little upstart started with an insult and thought he’d get somewhere.’

‘Ah.’ Miguel stood up, fixed his rhinestone glasses, and slapped an arm around the journalist’s shoulders. ‘Come with me. I’m know of an excellent story for you.’

Ramona waited for the men to walk away before leaning in towards Nathalie. _‘_ All right, how far along are you?’

Nathalie blinked. Her eyes widened before glaring at her friend. ‘I am not pregnant.’

‘You’re glowing like a neon-sign, your boobs have never looked so good, and you can’t handle the taste of champagne.’ Ramona tilted her head and grinned saucily. ‘Pretty sure that adds up to one thing.’

‘It’s a bad vintage tonight.’

Ramona placed a hand against her ample chest in an offended manner. ‘I have known you since we were twelve. Even when it was one step short of cleaning fluid, you’ve never complained about any quality of any alcohol.’ Ramona motioned around the room. ‘And no one else is complaining. You’re glowing so hard that even Miguel noticed, and he’s as observant as an Agreste on Valentine’s Day.’

‘ _Touché_.’

‘ _Chica, y_ ou may not think you’re pregnant, but your body is saying otherwise.’

‘It’s menopause.’

Ramona snorted into her glass. ‘Try again.’

Nathalie leaned back in her chair and tapped her fingers on the table. The rhythmic click was comforting. ‘Fine. I’ll buy a test in the morning, if just to prove you wrong.’

Adrien came over and handed a club soda to Nathalie. ‘Who are you proving wrong?’

‘No one,’ said the women in unison.

Nathalie sipped the club soda and grimaced.  ‘Stuff’s worse than I remember. But thank you, Adrien.’

He patted her shoulder before making a croaking sound.

‘What?’ Nathalie stood up and followed his gaze.

Gabriel and Jagged Stone stood on a table. Arms around each other, they belted, ‘ _Une Ladybug! Porte-bonheur_ , _Lady magique et Lady chance!_ ’

Adrien stared. ‘Is that my _father_?’

‘The one and only,’ said Nathalie through clenched teeth.

Ramona looked over and cackled. ‘So that’s what it takes to make him crack.’

‘I’ll call you tomorrow,’ said Nathalie, shoving her feet back into her shoes.

‘I look forward to it.’

‘Tell Miguel thanks for getting rid of the tabloid idiot.’

‘Anytime.’

The clock in the foyer chimed one.


	3. In Vino Veritas

‘ _Je cherche un homme, un homme, un homme…_ ’ Marinette half mumbled, half sang the words and took another sip of her kahlua. She squinted at the bottom of the glass.

Without missing a beat, Chloe refilled her friend’s glass. ‘ _Un Pierre, un Paul, un Jacques ou Tom…_ ’

They clinked glasses and sang ‘ _Peu m’importe comment il se nomme…_

Aurore joined in, _‘Je cherche un homme, un homme, un homme._ ’

The three young women sat close together on the low stage, Chloe’s full skirts spilling about them. Chloe kept pulling bottles of liquor from the recesses of her gown like a damned magician and laughing her head off whenever someone applauded her.

The young women looked up as the familiar click-clack pattern of heels grew louder.

Marinette never knew that it was possible to hear a character’s theme song when an actual person walked by. But as Nathalie strode through the tables towards Gabriel, black train billowing behind her, dark eyebrows perfectly arched over blood-red lips, she definitely heard the Evil Queen’s theme.

Chloe chuckled. ‘I don’t recall ever seeing Nathalie that angry before.’

‘Who’s dying this time?’ said Aurore, sitting up and peering around.

Marinette’s gaze drifted and locked onto a handsome blond. Adrien Agreste looked absolutely _scrumptious_ in his tails and white waistcoat _._ That boy could be eaten with a spoon. If there were any spoons to be had.

Marinette sighed and rested her chin on her hand. Did he know how gorgeous he was with his ruffled hair and sharp jawline? If his girlfriend hadn’t told him, then she would.

Girlfriend? She snorted into her glass. Anyone as rich and gorgeous as him had to have at least one mistress on every continent. But had they told him how gorgeous he was today?

To her left, Chloe whisper-sang, ‘ _Il n’a pas besoin d’être un milliardaire…_ ’

 

 

Adrien trotted behind his step-mother, his face equally horrified and astounded at the sight that was his father.

Jagged Stone planted a wet kiss on Gabriel’s cheek. ‘Best of luck to you both! Hey, Penny!’ He jumped off the table and ran after his assistant. ‘I’m going to be a godfather!’

Gabriel sat down heavily on the edge of the table, planted his feet on the chair, and buried his face in his hands. His shoulders shook.

‘We don’t get paid enough for this,’ groaned Adrien.

‘Never did.’ In a low, soft voice, Nathalie said, ‘Gabriel.’

He looked up, tears streaming down his face. He forced a smile. ‘H-hello, darling.’

She put her hands on her hips and sighed. ‘And on that note, it’s time to go home. Adrien, help your father up. Gabriel, where are your bowtie and glasses?’

‘I— _hic!—_ don’t remember.’ He struggled to his feet, tripping over the chair, and rubbed his hand over his face. He leaned in for an embrace. ‘Oh, honey—’

Nathalie jumped back, feet tangling in her train.

Adrien caught her by the arm.

‘ _Honey_? Since when do you call me pet names?’

Gabriel pulled her close and buried his face in her shoulder. ‘You’re pregnant, and I don’t remember how to handle it.’ His tone changed to alert, almost paranoid. ‘I need a sketchpad. Now.’

‘You can get one at home.’ Nathalie Sancoeur Agreste, Chief Administration Officer of Agreste Fashions, Ltd., instantly reverted to Nathalie Sancoeur, Executive Assistant to Mr Agreste.

Adrien caught his father before he could fall over another chair. He looked down and saw a pile of black silk and sparkling diamonds. ‘Hey, Marinette.’

She looked up at him and smile prettily. ‘Has anyone told you how gorgeous you are today?’

His smile faltered. Perfect. He handed his father off to a passing waiter, and scooped Marinette up in his arms. ‘Actually, my wife told me several times already today.’

She burst into tears. ‘Y-you’re married?’

At her look of absolute devastation, Adrien burst into laughter. His weepy—no, sobbing drunk father was being bundled into a car while his step-mother looked ready to act on a long-standing murder fantasy, and the love his life was leaking makeup onto his waistcoat.

What a night.

‘Aw,’ he nuzzled her, ‘did Bugaboo forget?’ He set her on the ground and helped her into the car. ‘I’ll remind you when we get home.’

‘Promise?’

 He wiped the tear stains and makeup streaks away. ‘I promise.’

Once in the car, Marinette sighed happily and curled tightly around Adrien. She fumbled with his bow-tie. ‘How does this come off?’

Adrien undid the knot and let it hang around his neck. ‘Better?’

She nodded and played with the top buttons of his shirt, slowly undoing each one. ‘Promise you’ll never get weepy drunk on me?’

‘Don’t worry, My Lady.’ He kissed the top of her head, only to get impaled by the tiara. ‘ _Merde_!’

‘Oh, no!’ Marinette sat up and held his face towards hers. ‘Are you all right? Let me look.’

Adrien submitted to her clumsy ministrations, smiling when she kissed the scratch. ‘I’ll be fine. Just have to get home.’

‘Poor kitty; I have just the thing.’ She pulled a delicate handkerchief from her cleavage and pressed it to the wound.

‘I’m fine, Mar, you don’t—’

‘Sh, _chaton_. Sh.’ She put a finger to his lips and giggled. ‘We can play doctor later.’

Adrien blushed and tried to keep his mind focussed on more important things. Like tomorrow morning when dealing with the after-effects of a sad drunk father, a properly pissed-off step-mother, and his ever-increasingly amorous wife.

Gabriel’s head lay on Nathalie’s shoulder. He rubbed his puffy eyes. ‘We’re going to have to talk with Management. You’ll need extensive bed-rest—’

Nathalie hissed, ‘I am not pregnant, you bastard.’

‘It‘s not a bastard.’ He twined his arm around hers and fiddled with her wedding band. ‘I married you.’ He kissed her bare shoulder and rubbed his tear-stained face against it.

‘Did he ever drunk cry when married to your mother?’ said Nathalie, staring at the ceiling of the car.

Adrien shook his head. ‘ _She_ got weepy drunk plenty of time, but—’ He slid across the seat to keep Marinette from straddling him. ‘Mar, not now.’

‘But Kitty!’

‘Marinette,’ said Nathalie, ‘what did you drink tonight?’

Marinette sat still and thought, swaying with the limousine’s motion. ‘Adrien gave me champagne. I had a champagne when talking with Monsieur le Mayor. Jagged Stone gave me a cocktail. Adrien gave me the rest of his cocktail. Gabriel gave me champagne. Chloe opened up a new bottle of kahlua—no, two bottles. No, she gave one bottle to Jagged Stone. We drank just the one.’

Nathalie rubbed the bridge of her nose.

‘And then Gabriel started singing the old Ladybug song and it was time to go home.’

‘What’s the opposite of a cheap date?’ said Adrien. ‘Look, My Lady, we’re almost home.’

She blinked at him. ‘Can I stay with you?’ Her finger trailed down his chest. ‘ _All_ night?’

‘I hope so.’ He caught Marinette’s wandering hands and held them in his. ‘That’s one of the deals of signing on for life.’

Nathalie looked out through the window. ‘Oh, thank goodness.’

The car pulled to a stop. The driver helped pull Gabriel out of the car and into the house.

‘Put him in the master bathroom,’ said Nathalie, keying in the appropriate security codes. ‘I’ll deal with him in a minute.’

‘I’m putting Marinette to bed,’ said Adrien, carrying his wife. ‘Do you need any help?’

Nathalie’s shoulders slumped. ‘I might.’ She shook her head. ‘No, I probably will.’ She eyed Marinette. ‘But no need to hurry back if she keeps you busy.’

Adrien gave her a smile before climbing the steps to his room.

To his old room, the newest guest room.

Marinette’s finger traced the line and dip of his collarbone. ‘ _What’s new, pussycat_?’

Adrien dumped her unceremoniously on the bed.

She shrieked. ‘What was that for?’

He rolled her over and undid the zipper on her dress. Tugging it off of her, he said, ‘We are not going down that rabbit hole again.’

‘But _minou_ …’ She sat up and blinked at the room around them. ‘This isn’t our room.’

‘It is for tonight. We’re at my father’s, remember?’ He reached to loosen his tie before remembering it was already gone. The sight of Marinette in lingerie, heels, and a tiara was more than he had bargained on.

He rubbed the back of his neck.

Marinette tilted her head and blinked. Her finger beckoned. ‘Here, kitty-kitty.’

He shed his coat and climbed onto the bed. ‘You summoned, Mrs Agreste?’

 

 

‘Where is it? Where is it?’

Nathalie opened the bedroom door and stared.  

Gabriel looked up from an open box. ‘Where is it?’

‘What are you looking for?’ Nathalie kicked her shoes off into a corner of the room and walked over to her husband.

‘The Miraculous. Where’s my Miraculous, Nathalie?’

Nathalie stopped next to him and lifted her hands over her head.

He paused his frenzied search to unzip her.

She took her first proper deep breath all evening and rubbed at the impressions in her skin. ‘The Miraculous hasn’t been here in five years.’

He flinched when she touched his shoulder. ‘Not now. I have to find it.’

‘Gabriel.’

‘I want to sense the baby.’ He placed a gentle hand on her stomach before burying deeper into the box.

Nathalie pursed her lips and hunted down a nightgown and robe. After loosening her hair and removing her makeup, she put the dress away.

When she returned to the bedroom, he was rummaging through the antique trunk at the foot of the bed.

Nathalie perched on the edge of the open trunk and took Gabriel’s face in her hands. ‘There is no more Miraculous. You surrendered it to the Guardian.’

‘And the Peacock?’ He turned ashen. ‘Emilie.’

He stood shakily and stumbled over the litter in the room.

Nathalie contemplated just going to bed right then and there. But they didn’t need any more gossip amongst the servants.

‘Work for Gabriel Agreste,’ she muttered in a high-pitched voice. ‘He’s the most boring person you’ll ever work for. Nothing bad’ll happen. Stick it out for a year; you’ll learn so much!’ Her feet slapped against the cold marble flooring. ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’

She pushed the office door open.

Gabriel lay curled against the wall which once held Emilie’s portrait. He looked up at Nathalie and rubbed his face with his hands. ‘She’s gone.’

‘The same as the last eight years.’

‘Go home, Nathalie. I don’t need you tonight.’

‘Gabriel.’

‘Go. Home.’

Nathalie looked up at the blank wall one more time and closed the door behind her.

Muffled moans and laughter echoed down the corridor from Adrien’s old room.

Nathalie kicked the door shut behind her and crawled into bed.


	4. Timestamp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments and feedback, everyone! I didn't realise how much an 'ouch' the last chapter ended on, so thank you for letting me know.
> 
> Quick heads up: There are a couple of deaths in this chapter. One happens off-screen and the other is written around.

A buzzing stirred at the edge of Adrien’s conscious. He rolled over, reached across Marinette, and grabbed the phone from her bedside table. ‘Hello?’ he croaked.

‘Girl, where are you at?’

‘Alya?’ He winced at the laugh from the other end.

‘Morning, Sunshine Child. Are you two still in bed?’

Adrien squinted at the clock. Half past ten. ‘Why are you calling so early? It’s Sunday.’

‘We agreed to meet for brunch, remember?’

‘ _Zut_ …’

Marinette rolled over and snuggled closer.

‘We’ll be there in half an hour.’

‘Sure you will.’

Alya was still laughing when Adrien pressed the End button. He sent off a quick text before nudging his wife. ‘Bugaboo, time to wake up.’

One of her eyes squinted open. ‘No.’

‘It’s brunch with Alya and Nino.’

‘Make it dinner.’ She pulled the blankets over her head.

‘Can’t. We’re meeting with your parents tonight.’

‘Ugh!’ Marinette disappeared completely beneath the blankets before rolling out and onto the floor. ‘I’m taking a shower.’

‘No time. I already texted Arthur.’

She squinted at him. ‘Who?’

‘My driver?’

‘Oh, right.’ She yawned and staggered into the bathroom.

Eighteen minutes later, they stumbled downstairs and to the foyer.

Intense voices came through the half-closed door of the office.

As Adrien took their coats from the closet, they heard Gabriel say, ‘Why do you have to be so stubborn?’

‘Years of working for someone who insisted on using magic to terrorize Paris and steal jewellery from children,’ said Nathalie stiffly.

The young couple looked at each other. No.

Marinette slipped into her black pea coat.

‘It was to get Emilie back!’

Nathalie made a non-committal noise. ‘We’re not keeping it.’

‘ _It_ is a child. Our child. And I want to keep it.’

‘Think about this logically. You’ll be in your seventies by the time it graduates from university. Adrien will be old enough to be his own sibling’s father. And we are the last people in the world who should consider raising a child. I’m not maternal and your track record…’

Marinette dragged Adrien from the house and shut the front door behind them. She looked up at Adrien’s pale face. ‘What do we do? _Minou_?’

He shook his head, clearing away the panic. ‘Pretend that we never heard it. I’d rather face Style Queen a half-dozen times again than deal with—with—that.’

‘You weren’t even conscious for that battle.’

Adrien gave a tense smile and held the car door open for her.  

She kissed his cheek. ‘I love you, you dumb cat. Remember that.’

‘I’d like you to know that I am a _talking_ Chat.’

‘How could I forget? You never shut up!’

Adrien slammed the car door shut and kissed her, hard, desperate.

Marinette played with his hair and stared into his eyes as the car drove through the streets of Paris. ‘We’ve made it this far. We’ll make it through this, too.’

‘Could we have misheard them?’ His eyes begged for her to say yes.

Marinette pulled his head onto her shoulder.

Thirty-three minutes after Alya’s call, Marinette and Adrien climbed out of the back of the car.

‘I’ll text if I need you,’ Adrien said to the driver.

The hulking man grunted and drove off before an overzealous traffic warden could ticket him.

Alya and Nino waved to their friends from their table.

‘You look rough,’ said Nino.

Adrien nodded and sipped at a glass of water, careful of his queasy stomach.

‘What’s your excuse this time?’ said Alya. ‘Did you love him a little too hard, M?’

‘Need to know,’ said Marinette with a coy smile.

‘We were at the fundraiser gala.’ Adrien opened the menu. ‘Marinette drank everyone under the table.’

‘How much did I have?’  

‘Enough to sink a small ship.’

Nino grinned. ‘Did she sing?’

‘Better. She forgot that we were married.’

Adrien put a hand to his head as his friends laughed. ‘Ow.’

‘How much did _you_ drink?’ said Marinette.

‘Enough that I was sort of sober when we got home. Still woke up with a headache.’

‘Probably a lack of electrolytes,’ Marinette said, a perfect cat-that-got-the-cream smile on her face. ‘I do remember that much.’ She turned to their friends. ‘Chloe has some of the smoothest kahlua I’ve ever had.’

Nino gagged. ‘Nasty stuff.’

Alya gave him a withering look. ‘Only because you can’t handle anything that costs more than five euros.’

‘So I have a cheap palate!’

‘Another reason you and Gabriel will never get along,’ said Marinette. She fished pain killers from her purse and handed them to Adrien. ‘Four with water.’

‘Thanks.’

As the brunch went on, Adrien managed to choke down a plain crêpe and black tea. Slowly his headache abated. The muscles in his neck and shoulders continued to tense.

Marinette demolished a plate of Belgian waffles and American-style bacon.

Everything changed when the screaming started.

Alya grabbed her phone and ran out the door.

Nino sighed and collected his coat as well as Alya’s before sprinting after her.

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other, horror struck.

‘It can’t,’ she said, shoving her arms into her coat.

Adrien threw down enough bills to cover their tab before running out after her, his greatcoat hanging over one arm.

People filled the streets, gasping and pointing at a figure flying through the air. Phones appeared over people’s heads as they tried to record the sight.

A blue-skinned woman with flowing green hair hovered over the crowd. A stack of train tickets scattered from her hand. ‘Tickets, please! Tickets, please!’  

She threw the tickets at people. They froze in their place, the exact time stamped on their foreheads.  

Adrien pushed through the people, Marinette following in his wake.

The word ‘Akuma’ swept through the crowd.

‘Where are Ladybug and Chat Noir?’

‘Why is Hawkmoth back?’

The Akuma landed on top of the Arc de Triomphe. In a sing-song voice, she called, ‘Ladybug! Chat Noir! Where are you? Someone wants to have a little chat.’

Adrien _humphed_.

‘Not now,’ said Marinette.

The Akuma spun in a circle. ‘I hate waiting!’

A pink butterfly outline surrounded her eyes.

‘People of Paris,’ called the Akuma, ‘lend me your ears! Since Ladybug and Chat Noir are unable to answer my call, you may take the message.’

A swarm of black and purple butterflies appeared in front of the Arc and formed a shadowy face.

A woman to Adrien’s right gasped. ‘Just like last time.’

Instead of a cowl, this Miraculous holder wore a hood low over their features. The points of a domino peaked out over their cheeks.

Everyone went silent.

‘People of Paris, good morning,’ said a woman’s low voice through the purple butterflies. ‘I am Farfallina. I seek Ladybug and Chat Noir to give them this message: You reached a stalemate with my predecessor. Do not expect me to be so kind.’

‘Does she want their Miraculouses?’ said the person in front of Marinette.

‘If I had wanted your Miraculouses,’ said the voice, ‘I would have taken them when I had the chance. The Old Guardian has faded. When his successor rises, I’ll have the identities of all the Miraculous holders. And then I will have my satisfaction. Paris worships you. You saved them for three years from the terrors of Hawkmoth. But you also failed them for three years. Three years of wondering how Hawkmoth would attack. And waiting breeds so much fear.’

The crowd’s murmurs grew.

‘My predecessor was weak and limited in his aims by only using negative emotions. There are so many more emotions to play with.’

A collective gasp ran through the crowd.

The lips beneath the hood twitched. ‘Shall we play a game, Ladybug and Chat Noir? I won’t attack every day, but I could attack any day. I won’t use every emotion, just any emotion. Bye-bye, Petit Paris.’ 

The butterflies dissipated.

The Akuma victim jumped off of the Arc. As she fell, the purple magic washed away. A purple butterfly crawled from the stack of tickets and flew away.

People screamed.

‘No!’ cried Marinette.

Adrien caught her and held her close.

A deadly silence washed over everyone.

Sirens wailed.

The air filled with shouting and screaming.

‘We have to get to Master Fu’s,’ Adrien said in Marinette’s ear. ‘Come on.’

They worked through the crowd and met the car a few streets away. Marinette stumbled after Adrien.

‘Where are Ladybug and Chat Noir’

‘Is she dead?’

‘That was horrible!’

Adrien caught Marinette’s hand and rubbed her back. ‘Remember what the counsellor said? Find the anchoring points and count backwards.’

By the time the car pulled up in front of Master Fu’s, Marinette was able to breathe normally. She jumped out before they came to a complete stop.

Adrien picked up his buzzing phone. ‘We’re almost there.’

‘Alya and I are on the Metro,’ said Nino.

Adrien stopped at the sight of the yellow police tape on Master Fu’s door. ‘Shit.’

‘What?’

Marinette ran up to the door and knocked.

A neighbour poked her head out of her door. ‘Are you looking for Monsieur Chan?’

‘Yes,’ said Marinette. ‘He’s my uncle. Someone told my family he’s been ill.’

The woman shook her head. ‘I’m sorry. He died on Friday night. The police said it looked like he surprised a burglar.’

‘What?’ Marinette’s knees wobbled.

The woman looked from Marinette to Adrien. ‘Bring your wife inside. She needs something for the shock.’

‘Thank you,’ said Adrien, helping Marinette inside. ‘My wife was very close to her uncle.’

‘Not close enough if she’s only just arriving.’

Adrien winced as they stepped inside. ‘We’ve been out of town.’

‘Hm. I’m Madame Park.’

‘Adrien Agreste.’

She smiled grudgingly. ‘I know who you are. Your company was certainly liberal with its advertising campaigns.’ As she poured a glass of brandy, she said, ‘My grandchildren wanted nothing more than to look like Adrien Agreste and use that overpriced cologne.’

After a second glance at Adrien, she poured a brandy for him as well.

Adrien thanked her and checked his phone. He sent off a quick text, telling Nino to text when they arrived. ‘You said the police found Mas—Monsieur Chan on Friday evening?’

‘Saturday morning. The next door neighbours reported the smell of gas and called the building manager. They found the body and an open window. I only got a peek, but it looks like he put up a good fight for such an old codger.’

‘Uncle was a great fighter,’ said Marinette. The colour returned slowly to her cheeks. ‘He taught me everything I know.’

Madame Park patted her hand. ‘Then you must be a terrific fighter.’

‘Do you know who we can talk to about collecting some valuables from his apartment?’ said Adrien, putting a hand on Marinette’s knee.

Madame Park gave them the building manager’s number. ‘And here is the contact information for the fire investigators.’

‘Thank you,’ said Adrien. ‘I know my wife’s family will want to take care of his,’ he choked back a surprise sob, ‘of his body.’

‘I wish you both luck.’

‘Thank you.’

They found Alya and Nino waiting outside the building.

Marinette ran to Nino and hugged him, burying her face in her old friend’s shoulder. ‘He’s gone.’

‘Alya,’ said Adrien, ‘help me break in through the back door? We can’t leave the Miraculous box for the police to mess around with.’

‘Sure thing.’

They found a spare key hidden under a stone statue of a turtle and entered.

‘It’s not breaking and entering if we have a key, right?’ said Alya.

‘There’s argument either way according to Chloe.’ Adrien pushed the door open and stepped inside. ‘Oh, my.’

The rooms were completely trashed. A pool of congealed blood lay on the mat in the middle of the room. Splatters covered the wall.

Adrien went straight to the gramophone holding the Miraculous box. ‘I don’t know the code, otherwise I’d get ours right now.’

‘We’ll figure it out later.’ Alya took pictures of everything. ‘Hawkmoth never killed before.’

‘Not that I’m aware of. Injured? Yes. Terrified to the point of PTSD? Yes. Killed or intentionally maimed? Never.’

‘Another point in favour of it being a different holder than last time.’ Alya took one last picture and tucked her phone in a pocket. She went over to the shattered window. ‘This looks like it was broken from the inside. Almost all of the glass is outside on the pavement.’

‘You think Master Fu knew the person and let them in?’

‘Possibly.’ Alya found Master Fu’s phone behind a tea caddy. It was still connected to the charger. She shoved it in her pocket.

Adrien carried the box outside and put it in the back of the waiting car. ‘Nino, will you go with Marinette and the box to the bakery? Alya and I can take the Metro there.’ 

‘Sounds good, dude.’ Nino embraced his friend before helping Marinette into the car. He took the front passenger seat.

When the car drove off, Alya said, ‘What now?’

‘Nothing until we get our Kwamis back.’


	5. The Box

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Oni-Chan premiers and you panic because a theory has become fact.

Tom sat on the floor and studied the gramophone resting on the coffee table. ‘So, this is the home of the famous Kwamis?’

‘We need the code to access it so we can fight the new Hawkmoth,’ said Adrien.

‘I remembered that Mom studied cryptology in school and thought maybe she’d be able to help.’ Marinette cradled her after-dinner tea in her hands.

‘I’ll do my best.’ Sabine collected paper and a flashlight and sat down next to the table.      

She took the flashlight and studied the brass buttons on the side of the instrument. On a piece of paper, she marked which ones were most worn. ‘Tom, can you get a bowl of flour and a paintbrush for me?’

Her husband returned a few minutes later with the needed items.

She dusted the buttons and marked the levels of oil residue on her paper. ‘Do we know how many tries we get?’ Sabine looked up at her daughter.

They shook their heads.

‘Are we sure there aren’t any clues on the gramophone itself?’ said Alya.

‘Adrien and I both checked before dinner.’ Sabine clicked her tongue. ‘It looks like Master Fu changed the passcode multiple times. All of the buttons are fairly evenly worn.’

Marinette looked across the room to Adrien. ‘Remember your father’s book? It might be able to help us.’

‘That would reveal our identities to him,’ said Nino, playing with his baseball cap.

‘It’s worth it,’ said Adrien, fishing his phone from his trouser pocket. ‘We need those Miraculouses or Paris is going to suffer.’

‘But, come on,’ said Nino. ‘It’s Gabriel “Emotions Are for Peasants” Agreste.’

‘You forgot the “terms and conditions apply”,’ said Alya.

Adrien ran a hand through his hair. ‘He’s better since counselling.’

‘I say no to calling Gabriel,’ said Nino. ‘There has to be another way.’

Marinette fiddled with her wedding ring. ‘I know Master Fu took pictures of the pages on his phone, but that was years ago.’

‘And the police probably have the phone.’

Alya fished in her pocket. ‘Luckily, they don’t.’ She held the phone out to her friend and smiled. ‘Guess I’m hanging out with the phone thief too much.’

Marinette grabbed the phone and sat next to her mother.

Nino paced around the room, glaring at the box. ‘He should have prepared better for something like this.’

‘Who?’ said Alya.

‘Master Fu. We’d talked a couple of times about my taking on responsibility for the box, but he couldn’t bear to give it up yet. And now we’re stuck trying to figure out how to access this because someone bumped him off!’

Alya walked behind Nino and wrapped her arms around his waist. ‘Hey, we’re going to get it figured out, okay?’ She kissed his cheek and rested her head on his shoulder.

‘Who’s going to claim the body?’ said Tom.

Marinette looked up from the phone. ‘I want to. I already told his neighbours that he’s a relative. Mom, will you go with me?’

Sabine nodded and scribbled down a combination. ‘We can go tomorrow before your classes. May I look at the phone?’

Marinette handed her the phone.

Sabine opened the notes app. ‘I think I have the code. Looks like he didn’t trust his memory.’ She punched the appropriate buttons.

The lid rose to expose the box within.

The four grabbed their appropriate Miraculouses and activated them.

Wayzz held out a paw and exchanged the secret handshake with Nino. ‘Greetings, young Master,’ said the Turtle Kwami. ‘It has been too long since our last meeting.

‘Too long,’ said Tikki.

Marinette handed the Ladybug Kwami a cookie. ‘You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.’

Plagg squealed at the cheese bread in Adrien’s hand. ‘You’re the best, kid!’ Plagg grabbed the pastry and spun around with it.

‘Careful with that,’ said Adrien. ‘It’s got to last you until tomorrow.’

‘Aw, but I’ve been starved during my time in the Quantum Realm! The Guardian is a hard master.’

The Kwamis looked around at the humans’ faces.

‘What did I say?’ said Plagg, the humour fading from his tone.

‘Master Fu is dead,’ said Marinette.

Tikki flew to her Chosen and hugged her cheek.

Trixx settled on Alya’s shoulder and rubbed his head against her.

Plagg looked up at Adrien and down at his treat. He settled on the table and nibbled at the bread.

Nino said to his Kwami, ‘Are you okay, lil’ dude?’

‘I am sorry for his passing. He was a good Guardian for many years.’ Wayzz tried to smile up at Nino. ‘But you will be an excellent Guardian for many more decades, I am sure.’

‘Do you know why Master Fu put you in the box?’ said Marinette. ‘I thought he never went anywhere without you.’

Wayzz shook his head. ‘What day is it today?’

‘Sunday evening,’ said Alya.

‘He let Pollen and Nooroo out on Wednesday to run about and play. When he put them back in the box, he put the Turtle Miraculous in as well. Perhaps he thought I needed a rest; perhaps he sensed what was to happen.’ He rubbed his paws together. ‘He was sleeping longer and more heavily. Was his death peaceful?’

Alya shivered. ‘There was blood everywhere.’

‘The Butterfly Miraculous is gone,’ said Adrien.

‘Poor Nooroo,’ said Tikki.

‘I wondered,’ said Alya, ‘since you were there, Wayzz, can you tell us how Master Fu got the Peacock and Butterfly Miraculouses back?’

‘I am sorry, Rena Rouge, but I am under oath to never reveal the information.’

Adrien spun the Chat Noir ring on his finger. ‘Could the original holder have tried to steal it back?’

‘Why do you ask, Chat Noir?’

Marinette laced her fingers with Adrien’s.

He took a series of deep breaths. ‘This morning, I overheard my father and Nathalie arguing. They mentioned him…’ He cleared his throat. ‘They mentioned my father using magic to try and get my mother back, that he terrorized Paris to do so.’

Cheese crumbs sprayed everywhere. ‘You mean I lived in the same house as Nooroo and never knew?’ Plagg buzzed angrily.

‘That sick son of a bitch!’

Wayzz hovered over Nino’s shoulder.

Nino jumped to his feet. ‘Your dick of a father terrorized Paris? He’s the one who Akumatized us, used our emotions against as?’

Adrien flinched. ‘I overheard it. It may have been out of context.’

‘Bull shit. Hold my phone, Alya. I don’t want any evidence when I go beat the living shit out of that sick fu—’

Tom grabbed Nino by the collar and marched him into the corridor. He slammed the door shut behind them.

Everyone stared at the door. Tom’s quiet voice and Nino’s shouting competed through the wall.

Wayzz looked from the door to the group.

Marinette said, ‘When did Master Fu learn the holder’s identity?’

Wayzz grimaced. ‘Only when the holder surrendered the Butterfly and the Peafowl to Master Fu.’

‘How did he know where to find you?’ Marinette’s hand was turning white from Adrien holding it so tightly.

‘He released Nooroo to fetch us. He told us how he came to possess the Miraculouses.’

‘Did he say why he gave them up?’ said Adrien.

A roar sounded from the corridor, shaking the pictures on the wall.  ‘Control yourself like a sane adult or leave my house until you can!’

‘Oh, dear,’ said Sabine.

The Turtle Kwami gulped. ‘The previous Butterfly holder only said that he realised what he stood to lose by continuing to pursue them. Given that he surrendered voluntarily, Master Fu thought it best to let Hawkmoth quietly disappear.’

‘And that’s when we gave Tikki and Plagg back,’ said Marinette.

‘Big mistake,’ snorted Plagg.

‘Now there’s a new Hawkmoth.’ Alya’s fingers absently scratched the top of Trixx’s head. ‘How are we going to do this? It was hard enough back then.’

‘Adrien doesn’t even live in Paris anymore,’ said Marinette.

Adrien pursed his lips. ‘I could. My programme in Lille has a distance learning option for the last semester.’ A hint of a Chat Noir smile crept out. ‘And Father is old enough that the term “family emergency” can carry weight.’

‘He deserves it.’ Marinette rested her head on his shoulder. ‘It’ll be nice to have you back.’

‘I’ll contact Miguel and a couple of other people, see if they can set up a job shadow for next semester.’ Adrien gave a bitter laugh. ‘I’m going to need all those PR classes if word gets out about father.’

‘Your father has a lot to answer for,’ said Marinette.

‘Nathalie probably has a file somewhere.’

‘Make that a filing cabinet and an external hard drive,’ said Plagg, shoving a chunk of cheese bread with his mouth. He swallowed. ‘She’s not as sneaky as she thinks she is.’

‘It’s a good thing she loves him,’ said Tikki.

‘If she hasn’t murdered him by the time we get back,’ muttered Adrien.

Sabine set a cup of tea in Adrien’s hand. ‘Why?’ 

‘Oh, did I forget to mention the other bombshell?’ He choked back a hysterical laugh. ‘Nathalie is pregnant. Father wants to keep the baby and she doesn’t. And they decided to have that argument where we could hear them as we left this morning.’

Alya’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Okay. Wow. This is a lot to process. Maybe we could nudge this new Miraculous holder somewhere other than Paris? Distance sounds really nice.’

The door opened to admit a disgruntled but properly admonished Nino.

Nino pulled Adrien to his feet and hugged his friend as tightly as possible. ‘I’m sorry. I really am. You’re my best bud.’

Adrien returned the hug, squeezing his friend tightly. ‘You didn’t say anything that wasn’t true. But he did give up the Miraculouses voluntarily. And he’s better since counselling. I promise.’

‘All right.’ Nino looked at the box. ‘How are we supposed to get that home?’

‘Transform while holding it,’ said Wayzz. ‘I will take care of the rest.’

Adrien picked up the Bee Miraculous, turning it in his fingers. ‘Someone should get this to Chloe.’

‘We can drop it off after escorting them home,’ said Marinette. ‘You know what a night owl she is.’

‘Unless she’s at Nathaniel’s,’ said Alya.

‘Still in Stuttgart,’ said Marinette. ‘She told us at the gala.’

‘Well, la-di-dah!’ said Plagg. ‘Can we get going? I need to drown my sorrows in Camembert.’

‘Can’t wait for the house to stink of Camembert.’ Adrien wrapped his scarf around his neck before slipping his coat on.

‘Nice scarf,’ said Plagg. ‘I _wonder_ who could have made it.’

Tikki said, ‘Certainly not a teenaged seamstress with a crush the size of Pangea.’

Plagg bristled. ‘That was an accident, and you know it!’

‘Knock it off, you two,’ said Adrien. He walked over to Tom and hugged his father-in-law. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow.’

‘We’re always happy to help,’ said the baker.

Sabine hugged Adrien and rubbed his hair. ‘We love you, sweetie.’

Marinette was the last to receive hugs from her parents.

‘Call us for anything,’ said Sabine, smoothing stray hairs back from her daughter’s face. Her grey eyes searched her daughter’s face. ‘We’re always here for you.’

‘Thanks, Maman, Papa. I’ll be okay. I have Tikki and Chat Noir back. And a team of amazing people.’

Tom hugged her one last time. ‘Doesn’t mean that we don’t get to worry as your parents.’

Marinette looked at her friends. ‘I want to say before we start that even though the why is really sad, I’m excited to have our Miraculouses back.’

‘Right with you.’ Nino gave Marinette a thumbs up.

‘Enjoying the gift of the Miraculouses is the best way to honour his memory,’ said Wayzz. ‘The joy of life is all the sweeter in the presence of death.’

Marinette took a deep breath. ‘Tikki, Spots On!’

‘Plagg, Claws Out!’

‘Trixx, Let’s Pounce!’

‘Wayzz, Shell On!’

Char Noir studied his costume, spinning around a couple of times. ‘Hey, we look good!’

Ladybug poked him in the belly. ‘Not bad for having three helpings at dinner.’

Char Noir struck a pose. ‘I assure you, My Lady, marital bliss has only sharpened my skills.’

Ladybug eyed his trim middle. ‘Let’s put that to the test, then.’

Rena Rouge raised an eyebrow at Carapace. ‘Think you can keep up?’

Carapace grinned. ‘Can you?’

‘Safe journeys, kids,’ said Tom.

Ladybug kissed her parents on the cheek. ‘We’ll go out through my room. Lock the window after us!’

The four heroes raced across Paris, jumping, leaping, and shouting to each other.

In the streets below, people started looking up.

‘They’re here!’

‘They’re back!’

‘Ladybug!’

‘Chat Noir!’

Phones and cameras appeared. Flashes glowed as people recorded the return of Paris’ heroes.

‘We should do an interview soon,’ said Ladybug.

Chat Noir said, ‘Probably tomorrow since we weren’t able to save the Akuma victim.’

‘What about an exclusive with the Ladyblog?’ Rena Rouge, swung off Chat Noir’s pole and somersaulted to the nearest rooftop. 

‘Do you still own the domain?’

Rena Rouge paused dramatically on the edge of a roof. She placed a hand on her chest. ‘You really believe that I wouldn’t keep my baby in perfect running condition? I’m insulted, Chat Noir.’

Carapace rolled to a stop by Chat Noir. ‘I think the only way to make it up is by doing an exclusive.’

Ladybug swung past. ‘Don’t be dramatic, you three! Farfallina is trying to corner the market there.’

‘Here’s hoping she’s not as dramatic as Hawkmoth.’

‘Or even more so,’ said Rena Rouge. ‘The more dramatic they are, the less attention they pay to what’s important.’ She winked at Chat Noir. ‘May or may not have to do with paying excessive attention to grooming.’

‘Hey! Just because cats are fastidious—’

‘Dude, it’s okay.’ Carapace slid across a rooftop via his shell. ‘We all know it’s the model in you.’

‘I was fourteen!’

They arrived at the apartment soon after. As soon as the box was safely tucked away in the bedroom closet, Ladybug collected the Bee Miraculous.

Alya detransformed and grabbed her phone. ‘Can we do that interview now?’

Ladybug shook her head. ‘Tomorrow. I promise. We need a place that isn’t going to be easy to link with our civilian identities.’

‘And maybe make it look more like a chance encounter,’ said Chat Noir.

‘Eiffel Tower at eight tomorrow night?’ said Nino. ‘We’ll mention the unexpected passing of the Guardian as the reason behind the delay in getting the Miraculouses.’

‘Should we tell them that Farfallina murdered the previous Guardian, forcing us to find a new one?’ said Alya.

‘Not yet,’ said Ladybug. She hugged her friends. ‘Call us if there’s anything suspicious.’

‘I think we’re good,’ said Alya. ‘Have fun delivering Pollen to Chloe.’

Chat Noir whooped once they were two rooftops away. ‘I have missed this!’ He looked over and grinned at Ladybug swinging alongside. ‘Looking good, My Lady!’

‘Eyes forward, you mangy stray!’

They landed by the rooftop pool of Le Grand Paris.

Chat Noir stepped towards Chloe’s Ladybug signal.

Ladybug caught his tail and yanked.

He spun into her embrace. ‘M-my Lady?’

‘I’ve missed this part.’ She kissed him hard.

‘Oh, great! We finally get our Miraculouses back, and _this_ is what I get welcomed with?’

Chat Noir lay his head on Ladybug’s chest, wiggled his eyebrows, and shot a smug smile at his oldest friend. ‘Hey, Chlo.’ His tail twitched with pleasure.

Chloe rolled her eyes and marched over. In a low tone, she said, ‘What took so long?’

Ladybug filled her in on the situation.

The heiress’ face fell. ‘That’s terrible. That’s two murders that we know of for Farfallina.’

Chat Noir leaned on his staff. ‘We’re going to talk to the old Hawkmoth tomorrow. Since we don’t have classes tomorrow, do you think you could be on standby for backup?’

‘Where at?’

‘The main offices of Agreste Fashions.’

She raised an eyebrow. ‘Hawkmoth at Agreste Fashions…’ Her mouth formed an O. ‘Damn, Chat.’

Chat Noir’s smile slipped. He nodded.

Chloe hugged him. ‘I’m sorry.’

He hugged her back. ‘He’s doing so much better that I’m having trouble staying angry.’

‘You’ve always been too forgiving.’

Chat Noir resisted the urge to hiss.

‘Or it’s shock.’ Chloe turned to Marinette. ‘Make sure you take care of him, Dupain-Cheng.’

‘What do you think I’ve been doing all day?’ Ladybug handed over the Bee Miraculous.

‘I’ll be there tomorrow.’ Chloe slid the comb into her hair. ‘Don’t stay up too late.’

Chat Noir winked before following his Lady.

They were halfway to their own apartment when Chat Noir stopped suddenly on a rooftop.

‘What is it?’ said Ladybug

He sat down and patted the rooftop beside her. ‘It’s interesting that they chose the Butterfly instead of one of ours. The Butterfly seems so limited in comparison.’

‘The Butterfly grants powers to champions. Until we know otherwise, let’s assume that the option of powers is limited to the user’s imagination and morals.’

Chat Noir’s ears twitched. ‘Do you think it could be someone getting back at my father?’

‘We’ll find out. I promise.’


	6. Confrontation

The intercom buzzed discreetly. ‘Mr Agreste, your son is here to see you.’

Gabriel glanced at his calendar before pushing the intercom. ‘Send him in, Miriam.’

Adrien held the door open for Marinette.

Gabriel stood quickly. ‘Adrien, Marinette, to what do I owe this honour?’

‘It’s about the Akuma attack yesterday,’ said Marinette.

Adrien’s fingers tangled in hers.

Gabriel folded his arms behind him. ‘Are you asking me as a former Akuma victim?’

‘N-no.’

Adrien burst out, ‘We’re asking the former Hawkmoth!’

Marinette and Gabriel both looked through the glass walls at the busy office. No one looked up at Adrien’s outburst.

‘When did you find out?’ said Gabriel.

‘Yesterday.’ Adrien flopped into one of the modern chairs in front of the desk. His legs jiggled anxiously.

Marinette perched in the other chair.

‘I overheard you and Nathalie arguing yesterday morning.’

‘Then you know—?’

‘Yes, I also heard her mention that she’s pregnant.’ Adrien rested his elbows on his knees. ‘I honestly don’t know which one is the bigger shock right now.’

A knock sounded at the door. Miriam brought in a tray with coffee and set it on the counter before returning to her desk.

Gabriel poured the coffee. ‘She found out yesterday morning. She’s currently at her physician’s getting bloodwork.’

‘We’re going to have to table that discussion for later,’ said Marinette. ‘Right now, we’re at the mercy of Farfallina and have no idea how to combat her.’

Gabriel’s eyebrow twitched as he studied his son. ‘So I was right.’

Adrien gave a sarcastic half-wave and opened his coat.

Plagg poked his head out and hissed at Gabriel before disappearing back inside the coat.

Gabriel handed his daughter-in-law her coffee. ‘Ladybug. I should have known.’

‘She figured out that you were Hawkmoth pretty early on,’ said Adrien defensively. ‘I was the one who convinced her that you couldn’t be him.’

‘Your Akumatization was pretty convincing,’ said Marinette. ‘How did you figure out you could detransform after sending a butterfly out?’

‘I didn’t. But it worked. At that point, all that mattered was not getting caught.’

Running a finger along the rim of his coffee cup, Adrien said, ‘Creating the Akuma is the Butterfly’s special ability, right?’

Gabriel gave a curt nod.

‘But our Miraculouses always time out after five minutes. You’ve held an Akuma for hours.’

‘You mentioned something about that at Heroes’ Day,’ said Marinette.

‘It is possible to remain transformed long after using your special skill,’ said Gabriel. ‘But you need the book to know how.’

‘I didn’t see the book at Master Fu’s,’ said Adrien. ‘Farfallina must have it.’

‘They would still need translations,’ said Gabriel. ‘I burned or deleted my copies before surrendering everything to Master Fu.’

‘Master Fu was murdered last week.’

‘My condolences.’

Marinette squeezed Adrien’s hand. ‘Everything you might have given Master Fu is probably in the hands of Farfallina.’

‘It would still take time to understand what the Butterfly Miraculous is capable of.’ Grabriel smiled bitterly. ‘It took months to learn what I could from Nooroo.’

‘What we’re lacking is time on Farfallina’s part,’ said Adrien. ‘Time to study, to train, to learn.’

Marinette said, ‘I think it points to Lila Rossi. She’s the only one who ever interacted with the book outside of those of us in this room. She’s familiar with its value.’

Gabriel fiddled with his stylus.

‘Maybe,’ said Adrien. ‘I know she was a terrible person, but we’ve grown up.’

Marinette snorted into her coffee cup. ‘Some of us.’

‘Stop assuming she’s the same person as when we were in school. I mean, look at Chloe!’

‘Just because we’re friendly doesn’t mean we’re friends.’

Adrien threw his hands up. ‘I give up.’ He stomped over to the window and stared at the street below.

Gabriel poured more coffee into Marinette’s cup. ‘There is one other person besides Miss Rossi who knew about the book. Nathalie was helpful in acquiring translators and historians from different universities.’

‘She would never!’ shouted Adrien. ‘What would her motivation be?’

‘I don’t know. But it is a point to consider.’

Adrien looked from his father to his wife. ‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘Mom—’ He collected himself. ‘Nathalie would never do anything like that to us.’

‘She’s more than willing to do whatever is necessary when given the proper motivation. And she has used a Miraculous before.’

Marinette set her cup in its saucer. ‘When?’ 

‘At Heroes’ Day, when you had me cornered at the Eiffel Tower. She took the Peacock Miraculous—against my express orders and warnings—and saved me.’ He looked up at Adrien. ‘Saved _us_.’

‘That’s when she started getting sick,’ said Adrien. ‘Just like Mother. She coughed all the time.’

‘Because the Peacock Miraculous was broken.’

Marinette bit her lip. ‘How?’

‘The use of a Miraculous carries many benefits. The abuse of one carries severe consequences.’

‘You abused yours.’

‘I abused the power, and then only for a short time. The Peafowl’s purpose was tainted over decades before it broke.’

Adrien looked up from the window. ‘What do you mean?’

Gabriel closed his eyes and arranged his thoughts. ‘Your mother abused her,’ he searched for the right word, ‘ _stewardship_ of the Peacock Miraculous. Her professional value lay in her physical appeal and she used it to maintain that.’ He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘If Farfallina is using the Butterfly to enhance her own empathetic abilities or physical appearance, then it could break the Miraculous.’

‘And rip the holder apart physically.’ Marinette settled back in her chair. ‘How long did it take for the Peacock to break before Mrs Agreste fell ill?’

‘I have no idea. She used it for years before I met her, used it for the intended purposes. But there came a point when I noticed lines or spots disappearing in ways that they shouldn’t without surgery.’

‘How old was Mother?’

‘Old enough that everyone was surprised when we announced her pregnancy.’ Gabriel stared into his coffee cup. ‘Older than me.’

‘But,’ said Marinette, ‘only the Turtle can grant long life.’

‘Oh!’ Adrien picked up his phone and sent a text. ‘I knew we were forgetting something.’

‘What?’ said Marinette.

‘I have an analogy but you still haven’t seen _Lord of the Rings_. That text was for Nino to set up a movie night. No,’ Adrien rubbed his forehead, ‘the Turtle prolongs life. Mother used the Peacock for eternal youth or at least the appearance of it. Just like the Ring of Power.’

Gabriel nodded. ‘That is my understanding. And when her body could no longer sustain them both, the Miraculous destroyed itself.’

‘Which tried to kill its next user.’

‘She only used it the once before falling ill,’ said Gabriel.

Adrien gnawed at a cuticle. ‘Nathalie knew this whole time?’

‘Since Bubbler. I couldn’t have done it without her.’

Marinette cleared her throat. ‘So Farfallina could be killing herself.’

‘Possibly but not necessarily.’

‘But it is a clue: Someone who’s suddenly falling ill for no reason.’

‘And seems more sensitive to emotions than before,’ said Gabriel. ‘You must remember the Miraculous’ original function. That’s going to be the root clue to this all.’

The phone buzzed on Gabriel’s desk.

‘Mr Agreste, I have your wife on line three,’ said Miriam.

‘Put her through.’ Gabriel picked up the handset. ‘What did the doctor say?’

Marinette joined Adrien by the window. ‘Well, we know more than we did.’

‘But do we know enough?’ He stared out the window with a clenched jaw.

‘You’re how far along?’ said Gabriel sharply.

The young couple looked over their shoulders.

The designer tapped the stylus against his leg in rapid staccato beats. ‘Adrien’s here.’ He glanced at his son. ‘We’ll meet you at home…I know.’

He hung up and reached for his coat. ‘Adrien, I want you at this family meeting.’

‘Why?’

‘Nathalie is stubborn. I fear for us both if she resembles your mother in any way during this pregnancy.’

Adrien banged his head against the window.

‘How far along is she?’ said Marinette.

‘Four months.’ He looked smug for a moment. ‘Too late for termination.’

Marinette muttered, ‘Only if she stays in country.’

Gabriel fixed the collar on his coat and marched out of the office.

As he spoke with Miriam, Adrien studied his father. ‘I never thought that he might actually like children. Mom always said one was more than enough for him.’ He looked to Marinette. ‘Will you come with me? I can’t have Plagg as my only support.’

The Kwami snorted within the recesses of the coat. ‘When it comes to kittens, you’re on your own.’

Marinette eyed Plagg’s approximate location. ‘I think the correct term would be caterpillars.’

‘Or chicks,’ said Adrien. ‘Peafowls have chicks, right?’

‘Probably.’ Marinette adjusted the lay of his scarf. ‘I’ll come for what I can and duck out if I “have class”.’

‘Good enough.’

‘Besides, I want to know if Nathalie can think of anyone who might have access to any of your father’s files.’

Adrien beamed a real smile at Marinette. ‘You’re a genius! They can’t fight if Nathalie’s distracted with work.’

 

 

Nathalie leaned against the desk, arms folded, legs neatly crossed at the ankle.

Adrien perched on the white sofa.

Gabriel stood at his full height, hands clasped behind his back.

Marinette made herself very small in the corner of the Agreste home office. Plagg and Tikki hid in her topknot, the better to watch the drama.

So far it had been an intense match of…staring.

Marinette stared at the clock. She needed Alya to knock some sense into this family of drama queens. Or just call up the Queen of Drama Queens to Out-Queen them all: Chloe.

Then she remembered that Chloe was in a meeting with her family lawyers.

Scratch that.

Another slow minute crawled by on the clock.

Plagg gave an especially dramatic sigh. ‘I can’t take this anymore!’

Everyone jumped.

Adrien fell back into the sofa. ‘I’m dead.’

‘Kid, everyone knows now.’ Plagg floated out of Marinette’s hair and hovered between the two adults. ‘You two, talk. I’m bored.’

‘There’s a wheel of smoked cheddar in the fridge,’ said Nathalie.

Plagg squinted at her. ‘You’re bribing me?’

She arched an eyebrow at him.

He stuck his tongue out before phasing through the office door.

Adrien pulled a pillow over his face. ‘Kill me now.’

Marinette dragged the pillow off. ‘Can’t. Life insurance doesn’t go into effect until you’re twenty-five.’

Adrien grimaced at her.

‘I suppose that’s as good a place to start as any,’ said Nathalie, picking up her tablet.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow. ‘And what does that mean?’

‘You have a child on the way. We’re going to start with revising your will.’

‘Is there something I should know?’

‘Farfallina murdered the Guardian.’

‘He was caught unawares.’

‘At upwards 200 years old?’ She gave him a sharp look. ‘If they know how to find the Guardian and kill him, what else are they capable of? And how much of what you know do they have access to?’

‘The police said the Miraculous was stolen on Friday night,’ said Marinette.

Nathalie motioned towards Marinette with her stylus. ‘And they’re already exhibiting this level of understanding. Exactly. How long was the Akuma active?’

‘News reports say at least ten minutes,’ said Adrien, his voice muffled from beneath the pillow.

‘Almost an hour, according to the victim’s phone records,’ said Marinette. ‘She was messaging a friend when she was Akumatized.’

‘Have you spoken with the new Guardian?’ said Nathalie.

Marinette shoved Adrien’s legs off the arm of the sofa and perched on it. ‘The new Guardian was there when we opened the box.’ She frowned. ‘Farfallina said something about the Guardian being old and how that was going to let her learn everyone’s secret identities.’

Nathalie shook her head and pulled up a schedule. ‘I’ll set up meetings with the different boards and lawyers.’

The Agreste men opened their mouths to protest.

She held up a hand before continuing to swipe and type. ‘I’ve given you both viewing permission on the calendar. Don’t lose it by attempting to change anything.’

‘What about Marinette?’ said Adrien.

‘I have editing privileges.’ Marinette snuck her nose in the air. ‘It’s the only way we’re able to schedule family dinners.’

‘Speaking of family,’ Adrien looked pointedly at his step-mother. ‘When is the newest member joining us?’

Nathalie’s gaze remained fixed on the tablet. ‘Sometime mid-April.’

‘That’s perfect!’ said Marinette. ‘It’s far enough after Fashion Week that you’ll still be able to attend without being so far along that you’ll feel like a beached whale.’

‘Charming thought,’ said Nathalie. To Gabriel, she said, ‘Unless the doctor says otherwise, I will be working through until my due date.’

‘Just to make sure,’ said Adrien, ‘it is just the one? Not triplets?’

‘You’ve been watching _Parks and Rec_ again,’ said Marinette.

Adrien blushed. ‘It’s easy to fall asleep to.’

‘It’s just the one at this time,’ said Nathalie. She tilted her head. ‘Although a comparative study on the amount of blood pressure medication necessary for your father in the event of triplets may be worth pursuing.’

‘No,’ said Gabriel.

Nathalie smiled.

‘Backtracking a couple of conversation threads,’ said Marinette, ‘do you have anything from when you helped with translations from the Miraculous book? Gabriel says everything was burnt, deleted, or surrendered to the Guardian, but Plagg said something about an external hard drive?’

Nathalie’s eyes remained fixed on the tablet.

Tikki hovered in front of her. ‘Where is it, please? Your type never destroys important information beyond retrieval.’ She nudged the tablet down.

‘The external hard drive is in the lair. Everything, from emails to scans, is on there.’

‘The lair was sealed,’ said Gabriel. ‘We removed the portrait.’

‘Why do you think I put it there? If Tikki, yes? Would you be so kind as to phase through the floor and fetch it?’

Tikki happily acquiesced and phased through the floor. She returned five minutes later dragging the external hard drive through the secret elevator.

‘You’re the best, Tikki.’ Marinette took the technology and hugged it close. ‘We’ll take this to the new Guardian and see what we can figure out.’

Nathalie handed Marinette a piece of paper. ‘These should be all of the passcodes needed to access everything.’

Marinette looked at the writing. ‘Why so many?’

‘When your entire livelihood is dependent upon your supervillain employer not rendering you redundant, you tend to over-protect any potential leverage.’ In Marinette’s ear, she said, ‘It’s not just Hawkmoth related information on there. Make sure Adrien doesn’t look too closely at any of the files on there.’

Marinette nodded and tucked the paper inside her bra.

Gabriel and Adrien stood by the door.

‘If you want it, I’m happy to help,’ said Gabriel. ‘I spent years studying the book.’

‘We’ll let you know,’ said Adrien. ‘Shall we, My Lady?’

Nathalie’s phone rang. She picked it up. ‘Sancoeur.’

Adrien and Marinette slipped out, the external hard drive tucked under Marinette’s arm.

‘Plagg?’ called Adrien.

The Kwami of Destruction flew from the kitchen and to the foyer, the remains of the cheese in-paw.

‘How was the cheese?’ said Marinette.

‘Fair to middling.’ He threw the final piece into the air and caught it with his mouth. ‘Far better than remaining in that room any longer.’ He belched. ‘Watching those two was a case of “by all means move at a glacial pace”, y’know?’

‘I do,’ said Marinette. ‘But we need to hurry to not be late.’

‘What are we doing?’ said Plagg.

‘Picking up Adrien’s glasses.’

Plagg turned to his Chosen with the biggest grin possible. ‘Glasses, huh?’

Adrien blushed and pulled the scarf more tightly around his neck. ‘They’re for reading.’

Marinette snorted. ‘And for distance.’

‘I can see perfectly fine, My Lady.’

Marinette tucked the external hard drive in her bag and stepped outside. She pointed to a sign on the other side of the street. ‘What does that say, dear husband?’

The former model squinted. ‘Uh…’

Plagg howled with laughter. ‘Oh, this is good!’

Tikki’s mouth twitched. ‘Are you sure you’re not just the tiniest bit vain, Adrien?’

‘No. I’m only worried about more people making comments about looking like my dad.’

Tikki nudged Plagg. ‘Maybe he did inherit some traits from Dusuu after all.’

Marinette rolled her eyes. ‘Come on. We’re going to be late.’

Plagg floated by Adrien’s ear. ‘Does Father Dearest know?’

‘Coat, now.’ 

‘I’ll take that as a no.’

‘Shut up, Plagg!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel's comment about four months being too late for an abortion is consistent with what I was able to learn about French abortion laws as of April 2019.


	7. Panic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rule 56: Never run late with giving chapters to your beta reader. 
> 
> Rule 57: Never give your beta reader a large amount of reading during midterms/finals.

Adrien held Marinette as close as possible. ‘Are you sure you’re going to be okay?’

‘It’s two weeks of exams and you’ll be home.’ She smiled brightly for him. ‘I have my parents and Nino and Alya to help. You only have Chloe.’

The blonde flipped her friend off before boarding the train to Lille.

Adrien looked over his shoulder. ‘I’ll be okay.’

‘Will you?’ She straightened the frames of his glasses. ‘News like that…’

‘All I ask is that you don’t kill him.’

‘I’ll think about it.’

‘I’m serious, Mar. There are bigger issues right now. We’ll deal with him later.’

She stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. ‘Promise me you’ll talk to a therapist?’

‘I’ll see what I can do. Promise me that you won’t stay home alone if you feel a panic attack coming on?’

‘I already had therapy for that.’

He frowned. ‘You had an anxiety attack after the Akuma.’ His thumbs traced her eyebrows. ‘Let me be worried for you, My Lady.’

‘Don’t run yourself ragged protecting me and thereby exposing yourself, _minou_.’

The conductor stepped out of the train and blew his whistle.

Adrien kissed her one last time, grabbed his bag, and jumped on the train.

Marinette waved and wrapped her arms around her waist. She stood on the platform until the train disappeared from view.

She shivered and caught a taxi back to her apartment.

‘Marinette,’ whispered Tikki. ‘You won’t stop shivering. You should go to your parents’ home.’

‘Not right now. They’d think I’m sick.’

‘You’re not exactly healthy right now. You can’t fight Akumas like this.’

Marinette looked up at the driver.

He swore and slammed on his breaks.

The taxi lurched to a stop.

Her heart jumped into her throat. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Sorry, miss. Just a tourist in the street.’

Marinette sat back and settled more deeply into her coat. ‘I’ll be fine. Just need to eat.’  

The taxi pulled up in front of Marinette’s apartment, and she climbed out. The squeezing in her chest grew tighter as she climbed the flights of stairs.

‘Maybe you should take the elevator,’ said Tikki.

Through gritted teeth, Marinette said, ‘I am _fine_! I’m Ladybug!’ She pulled her keys from her purse. ‘Ladybug doesn’t fall apart.’

It took four tries to get the key into its lock.

She looked at the homework spread out over the furniture, the dishes in the sink. The washing machine light flashed, signalling the end of its cycle.

Adrien’s favourite shirt lay pressed against the plastic door of the washing machine.

Marinette sat on the floor and pulled her knees to her chin. ‘Five: Couch, lamp, sewing machine, tablet, Tikki. Four,’ she closed her eyes and reached out her hands. ‘Coat, pillow, rug, floor.’

She took another breath. ‘Three: The hum of the refrigerator, the beeping of the washing machine, a siren outside. Two.’ She breathed deeply. ‘Adrien’s—’ She sobbed but took another deep breath. ‘Adrien’s cologne and—chocolate?’

She opened her eyes.

Tikki hovered in front of her, a piece of dark chocolate in her paws. ‘Adrien said you’re having anxiety and panic attacks and told me what the doctor said to help you.’

Marinette took the chocolate. ‘One: Chocolate from my other best friend.’ She put the chocolate in her mouth and let it dissolve on her tongue. ‘Thank you.’

‘It’s okay to have moments where you’re not strong. A lot happened this weekend.’ Tikki settled on Marinette’s knee. ‘We can practice some calming techniques that I’ve used with other Ladybugs. It’s okay for Ladybug to be human.’

Marinette rubbed face and stared at the ceiling. ‘You mean weak.’

‘It’s not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of trying to be strong for too long.’ Tikki flew up and nuzzled Marinette’s cheek. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t be here for you after Hawkmoth disappeared.’

Marinette cupped her hand around Tikki, thankful for the Kwami’s presence. The thought of being alone in the apartment…

She sprinted to the bathroom.

Tikki hovered over Marinette’s shoulder. ‘You should go to your parents’ house. You’re not in a good position to be alone.’

‘I have too many final projects to go there.’ Marinette dry heaved over the toilet.

‘Then ask your mom or Alya or Nino to come here. What about other friends? You said Rose is a nurse now?’

‘She’s a maternity nurse. A little different.’

Tikki made a non-committal noise.

The intercom buzzed by the front door.

Marinette flushed the toilet and washed her face before dragging herself to the intercom. ‘Hello?’

‘About time,’ said a clipped voice.

‘Kagami? What are you doing here?’

The champion fencer sighed from the other end of the intercom. ‘Adrien said you need someone to stay with you when you’re not in class.’

Marinette pushed the button to allow Kagami in.

Tikki found a breath mint and dropped it into Marinette’s hand.

Marinette popped the breath mint. ‘This’ll be okay.’

‘She’s too practical for you to ignore.’

Four minutes later, Kagami dropped a backpack and a fencing duffel on the floor. She looked around the room. ‘Nice place.’

‘Er, thanks.’ Marinette eyed the bags. ‘How long did Adrien ask for you to stay?’

‘Just the first few nights. I leave for a tournament in Romania Thursday night. He said your parents and other friends will be more available then.’

‘Thanks.’ Marinette played with the hem of her sweater. ‘Can I get you anything? Tea? Water? I think we have some coffee still.’

‘Water is fine.’ Kagami picked up her backpack. ‘You can forget that I’m here. I have plenty of my own studying to do.’

Marinette managed a smile. ‘Thanks for coming.’

Something softened in Kagami’s face. ‘You’d do the same for me.’ She immediately plopped onto the couch and put on her noise-cancelling headphones.

Marinette went to the kitchen and cleaned up the dishes. She opened the freezer and found it stuffed full of her favourite ice cream. Tears welled up in her eyes and dripped onto her shirt.

‘He loves you very much.’ Tikki nuzzled Marinette. ‘He can’t be here, but his love can.’

‘Thanks, Tikki.’ Marinette cleared her throat. ‘Kagami! Do you like double chocolate truffle ice cream?’

 

 

Chloe sat on the couch, arms crossed over her chest, one leg crossed over the other.

Adrien paced back and forth. Words spewed forth, words which Chloe had never imagined him knowing.

Plagg sat next to Chloe. A wedge of Camembert lay forgotten on its plate.

‘You weren’t kidding.’ She tapped her foot against the floor. ‘How long has he been like this?’

‘Since he got home from Paris.’

‘That was two days ago. You only just called me?’

Plagg’s whiskers twitched. ‘I tried to get him angry, but he’s just festered until now.’

Chloe tilted her head. ‘Can you force him to transform?’

‘Not really…’

She fixed him with her best Inquisitor glare.

‘I mean, sort of. But it’s easiest if he says the phrase.’

‘Fine.’ Chloe stood up and adjusted her shirt. ‘Pollen, if Chat Noir goes on a rampage, can you keep up?’

‘If you mean tracking him, then yes,’ said the Bee Kwami. ‘But if it comes to a fight…’ She shook her head.

‘It’d be best to get him out of the university district,’ said Plagg. ‘Too many people might have a chance of guessing his identity.’

‘Done.’ Chloe dug through her backpack and thanked her lucky stars that today had been Zumba. She ducked into the bathroom and changed. ‘All right, Adrikins, suit up. We’re going for a run.’

He stopped and stared at her with red-rimmed eyes. ‘You hate running.’

‘Which tells you how much you owe me when this is over.’

‘I’m not going for a run!’

‘I did _not_ change into my sweaty Zumba clothes for this, Agreste.’ She poked him in the chest. ‘So get changed now.’

He batted her hand away. ‘I’m fine.’

She smacked his model-perfect face.

For the first time since she entered the flat twenty minutes ago, Adrien stopped moving. ‘What was that for?’

‘Shock to the system to get you to think. Get your shoes; we’re leaving now.’

‘I’m not leaving!’ He kicked the couch.

The Camembert fell onto the floor.

‘Don’t make me actually punch you.’

Adrien laughed, a harsh, bitter sound. ‘You’re Chloe Bourgeois. You can barely pick up a nail file! What makes you—?’

His eyes rolled back in his head. He landed heavily on the floor.

Chloe shook her hand out and massaged the knuckles. ‘That’s going to leave a mark.’ She grabbed Adrien by the feet, wincing at the smell, and dragged him to his bedroom. ‘Great, how do I—?’ A cunning smile lit up her face. ‘Oh, Pollen!’

Five seconds later, Queen Bee dropped Adrien Agreste onto his bed. She detransformed and sat on the bed. ‘He looks rough.’

‘It’s not every day that you find out your dad’s a terrorist and tried to kill you.’ Plagg dragged the Camembert from the living area and set it next to Adrien’s face.

‘Has he eaten since getting back?’

‘Kid hasn’t even showered. I did not come back from the Quantum Realm for him to self-destruct like this.’

Chloe gave Plagg a sharp look. ‘I don’t think any of us were asking for this, so shut your mouth.’

He stuck his nose. ‘You’re not my Chosen.’

‘No,’ said Adrien’s voice, thick due to a swelling tongue. ‘But your Chosen is getting close to making you shut up.’

Plagg zoomed about and hugged Adrien’s cheek. ‘Can you think clearly now?’

Adrien sat up and rubbed his jaw. ‘Where did you learn to punch like that?’

‘Penny Rolling. She said that our form was all wrong.’

‘I see—what?!’

‘Relax, yes. Penny Rolling and Jagged Stone know just about everyone’s identities. I blame it on whatever he smokes since it affects her, too. The Miraculous magic or whatever wore off so they could figure out our identities.’

Adrien rolled off the bed. He padded to the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack from the freezer.

Chloe pushed him out of the way and looked in the refrigerator. ‘Seriously, do you not have any food?’

‘I know how to make exactly five dishes and was out of town for three days.’

She shook her head and threw his coat at him. ‘Grab your shopping bags. We’re going on that run now and will get food afterwards.’

‘Chloeeeeeeeeeeee!’ He straightened up as soon as she glared.

‘Get your running shoes.’

‘Yes, ma’am,’ he mumbled.

Plagg sighed with relief and devoured the wedge of Camembert. ‘About time. Those two kittens will destroy themselves at this rate.’

‘What’s Adrien’s favourite food?’ said Pollen.

‘Not Camembert.’ Plagg patted his belly with satisfaction. ‘Cheese makes him sick.’

Ten minutes later, Chloe and Adrien ran down the street and towards the small park. Neither said anything.

The Kwamis nestled in the coats of their Chosen.

After twenty minutes of running, Adrien stopped with his hands on his knees. ‘This sucks!’ He inhaled sharply. ‘I hate running when not transformed.’

‘That makes two of us.’ Chloe ran in place, bouncing from toe to toe. ‘But we’ve got to do something short of me marching you down to the psych ward of the hospital.’ Her eyebrows arched. ‘Then we really would have to call in your father.’

Adrien turned green and was sick in the bushes.

Two Russian grandmothers walked past with their little market baskets.

‘Is he all right?’ said one in heavily accented French.

Chloe gave her a friendly smile. ‘Too much alcohol,’ she said in Russian.

The grandmothers shook their heads.

‘We’ll light a candle for him,’ said the other.

‘Thanks.’

The women continued on their way.

Adrien stood up and took a deep breath. ‘Okay, feeling better.’

‘Sure.’

He beamed a ten-thousand watt smile before sitting down heavily, crumpling in on himself. ‘I can’t do this. It’s too much.’

‘Then put it aside until you can. It’s okay to grieve for the loss.’

He looked up. ‘Really?’

‘Remember when I broke your Wolverine action figure? The week after my mom left the first time? I didn’t know how to handle my emotions, so I broke stuff all the time. And when I was able to handle my emotions, I stopped breaking stuff.’

‘You even apologised.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Jean-Pierre made me.’

‘So I have a couple of weeks to just…emote?’

‘Yes, Adrien, you have permission to have wild emotions and not do anything about them.’

Adrien wiped his eyes. ‘Can we transform and just run?’

‘Lead the way, Alley Cat.’


	8. Accidents Happen

‘Hell yes!’

Marinette looked up from her tablet. ‘What?’

‘I accessed that big file, the one that Nathalie conveniently forgot the encryption code to.’ The laptop screen reflected off of Alya’s glasses. ‘Oof, you’re going to want to read this.’

Marinette slid across the couch to read over her friend’s shoulder. Her eyebrows rose. ‘Medical records for Emilie Agreste?’

‘Starting when we were three.’ Alya tapped a pen against her teeth. ‘Didn’t Adrien say he lived in Italy until he was three or four?’

‘Something like. But Nathalie didn’t start working for his father until Adrien was ten.’ Marinette scrolled through the information key. ‘Wow, she can really dig.’

Alya grinned. ‘She should have been a journalist.’

‘Or a spy.’

‘Mm, yeah.’

Marinette gave her friend a sharp look. ‘What did you find?’

‘That almost six years of her life has no paper trail. She disappears after graduating from a school in Switzerland and reappears six years later with an MBA and glowing references from higher up military names.’

‘Spies don’t go into the fashion world.’

‘They could for easy international travel.’ Alya’s cheeks glowed with excitement. ‘Just think.’

‘I’d rather not, if just so I can sleep without wondering if my mother-in-law is capable of killing us all in our sleep.’ Marinette stretched. ‘How soon can you upload everything to the online group?’

‘As long as the Wi-Fi doesn’t go out again, sometime this evening. Oh, hello!’ Alya grinned. ‘It looks like she cleaned out the files from her predecessors.’

‘She wanted to know what was going on.’

‘And is a massive snoop.’

‘Says the massive snoop.’ Marinette grinned at her friend.

‘Says the phone thief.’ Alya cleaned the frames of her glasses. ‘Have you had any luck with the book translations?’

‘I’m happy to find time to sleep in between work, school, and fighting those stupid Akumas. Why did Farfallina have to start all of this right before final exams?’

‘Maybe she’s come home for the holidays.’ Alya frowned and pulled up a new document.

‘Are you saying we’re fighting another student?’

‘Or a teacher.’

Marinette’s phone beeped.

Alya groaned. ‘If that’s another Akuma, tell them we’ve moved to Tasmania.’

‘I just might.’ Marinette picked up the phone. ‘Hello?’

‘Marinette? It’s Penny Rolling.’

Marinette checked the time. ‘Eep! I’m so sorry! I was doing homework and—’

‘Don’t worry. We understand that you’re busy right now. How long do you think it will be before you can get to Le Grand Paris?’

‘Not long,’ said Marinette. ‘I’m just down the street.’

Alya looked up and wagged her eyebrows.

‘See you in a minute,’ said Marinette. She shoved the phone in her bag. ‘Tikki! Spots—’

‘Uh, Mar?’

‘What?’

‘Might want to get dressed first.’

Marinette looked down and realised she was still wearing her pyjamas. ‘Oops.’

‘Yep.’

Five minutes later, Marinette yelled, ‘Spots on!’

‘Just down the street, huh?’

‘Oh, hush,’ said Ladybug, grabbing the garment bag. ‘It’s a fitting for Jagged Stone.’

‘Don’t forget your sewing bag.’

Ladybug grabbed the item. ‘Thanks for letting me stay the night.’

‘Sure thing, girl.’

Ladybug crawled out through the fire escape and swung to Le Grand Paris.

She landed in an alley half a block away, detransformed, and sprinted towards the main doors for the hotel.

The doorman quickly opened the door for her. ‘Welcome back, Madame Dupain-Cheng.’

‘Thanks, Frederique!’ She ran for the elevator.

‘Marinette!’ called Penny, appearing from one of the many doors. ‘We’re in here.’

Marinette ran to the door and looked around the ballroom. ‘What’s going on?’

‘Fundraiser. Jagged agreed to be one of the celebrities up for auction.’

Marinette looked at Penny. ‘Pardon?’

‘We’re auctioning off a day with a celebrity and the money goes to charity. For example, whoever the highest bidder for an event with Jagged is will spend the day helping prepare for a show and then that evening will get a guest appearance at the show that night.’

‘That sounds like fun.’

‘Marinette!’ Jagged Stone hugged his honorary niece and spun around.

‘Eep! Hi!’

He set her down and took the garment bag. ‘Is that the newest and greatest Dupain-Cheng Original?’

‘I hope it is. Do you want to try it on here or up in your suite?’

‘Here’s fine.’ He jerked his thumb in the direction of the stage. ‘We’ve been at this rehearsal for three hours already.’

‘Cool, go ahead and put that on. Since it’s the last fitting, I can do any alterations here.’

‘Ta!’ Jagged Stone started stripping.

Marinette turned around and lay her sewing tools on a table in the corner. The odds of the musician remembering to wear undergarments were terrible at best.

Jagged Stone shrugged the jacket on. ‘Rockin’ righteous, Marinette! You’ve done it again. You could almost say it’s,’ he slipped on a pair of dark glasses and struck a pose, ‘murderously good.’

‘Uh...?’

Behind her clipboard, Penny said, ‘Just roll with it. He’s been watching reruns of _CSI: Miami_.’

‘Okay?’ Marinette turned to Jagged Stone. ‘I’m glad you like it! Give me just a moment.’

She walked around, straightening here, pinning there. She tapped her foot, staring at the lay of the collar. ‘It just isn’t quite right.’

A voice to Marinette’s left said, ‘Try using pinking shears to give it a “jagged” edge.’

Marinette looked up and saw Nathalie. ‘A pun?’ She crossed her arms. ‘Where did that come from? Are you feeling all right?’

‘Gabriel won’t stop punning.  Apparently it’s contagious.’

‘That sounds awful.’

‘You have no idea.’

‘Oh, I do,’ muttered Marinette as she fixed a trouser cuff.

‘Nath!’ Jagged Stone hugged Nathalie before patting her belly. ‘How’s my favourite little goddaughter doing?’

‘Currently committed to perfecting somersaults.’

‘Did you find out the gender?’ said Penny.

‘Not yet.’

Jagged winked. ‘It’ll be a girl.’

Penny shook her head. ‘How are you, Nathalie?’ she said as Marinette took Jagged Stone’s suit jacket off and whip stitched a line into submission.

‘One stressor short of telling everyone what I really think. How are you?’

‘Not far from the same.’ Penny glanced at the stage. ‘Ready for lunch?’

‘Very.’

Penny grinned. ‘Excellent. Jagged, I’ll be back in an hour.’

He gave her a thumbs up.

Marinette looked up from her sewing. ‘Do you want me to use the pinking shears on the collar?’

‘It’s your work and your vision.’ He made a grandiose gesture and posed.

Marinette’s eyes widened as the trouser seams strained.

‘Do whatever speaks to you. I know I’ll love it.’

‘Okay, then.’ Marinette’s hand hesitated over the pinking shears before moving to her normal fabric scissors.

As the celebrities resumed rehearsal for the evening, Marinette cut tiny, irregular triangles along the collar and lapels of the tuxedo. She ran her fingers over the cuts, fraying them slightly.

She was just cutting the last triangle when a droplet of water dripped onto the jacket.

Marinette kept her composure and cut the last triangle. She looked up. ‘Oh, you. Looking to create any Akumas today?’

Lila narrowed her eyes before smiling and sipping her iced coffee. ‘Me? Creating Akumas? Don’t be ridiculous. I stopped by to see my mom. She’s helping with the organization of the auction.’

Marinette looked at the stage. Ambassador Rossi was nowhere to be seen. ‘I haven’t seen her since getting here.’

Lila smacked her forehead. ‘Silly me; she’s probably at lunch with one of her friends. It’s always nice to be able to have friends who help you raise so much money for noble causes.’

‘Uh-huh.’

When Lila made no motion of moving, Marinette said, ‘Is there something I can help you with?’

‘Where’s Adrien? He’s never far from you. It’s almost like the two of you are the same person.’ She giggled.

Marinette tried to think of how Penny or Nathalie would handle the situation. ‘I’m sure that’s true of most newlyweds.’

‘I think it goes beyond something so simple.’ Lila leaned in. ‘It’s almost like you’re two halves of a whole.’

‘He’s taking his exams right now.’ Marinette looked at her phone. ‘What about you?’

‘Oh, I finished my exams early! Being separated from family is so hard, and INSEAD has the worst exam schedule.’

‘INSEAD?’

‘The premier business school in all of France! Only the best of the best of the best students can get in. I took a semester at their Hong Kong branch and learned so much. And after that, Prince Ali invited me to visit him in Achu for a few weeks.’

‘Doesn’t INSEAD only offer post-graduate degrees, Masters and such?’

Lila’s smile wavered. ‘Don’t be silly!’

‘Actually, I’m pretty sure they don’t offer undergraduate degrees. It was a hot topic of discussion for Adrien.’ Marinette shook out the jacket. ‘And the Asian branch is in Singapore, not Hong Kong.’

‘You seriously think I would lie about school?’ Lila’s eyes filled with tears.

Marinette lay the jacket over her arm. ‘If you’ll excuse me.’

She walked towards the stage and promptly tripped over Lila’s foot.

Marinette landed on her face, the jacket crumpling under her.

‘Marinette!’ called Jagged Stone. ‘Are you all right?’

‘I think so.’ She sat back on her heels and held the jacket out.

Iced milk and coffee spilled over her and the jacket.

Lila’s hands flew to cover her mouth at the sight of the mess.  ‘Oops!’

The cold seeped through Marinette’s clothes as the black suit jacket soaked up the mess. Her vision shrank to a tiny periscope of red.

Shouting. Someone plucking at her shoulder.

Something scraping against her nails.

Nathalie’s sharp voice cracked, ‘Marinette!’

The young designer stopped.

Three security officers pulled her off of Lila.

The Italian whimpered and coughed. She cowered, cradling her wrist to her chest. ‘How could you, Marinette? It was an accident!’

Marinette struggled against the guard holding her.

A cold hand landed on her shoulder.

She looked up and saw Nathalie.

‘Violence is the last answer,’ said Nathalie.

Marinette stopped struggling but glared at her nemesis. ‘She ruined my work! Now Jagged doesn’t have a jacket for tonight!’

‘I’m so sorry!’ Lila wailed, tears spilling onto her cheeks. ‘It wasn’t my fault, but I’ll pay for it!’

‘You’re such a bull shit liar!’

Nathalie’s grip on Marinette’s shoulder tightened.

Jagged Stone came down from the stage. ‘What happened?’

Through gritted teeth, Marinette said, ‘She stuck her foot out so I tripped over it. Then she dropped her coffee on it. I spent weeks on that jacket! Wee—!’

She yelped as Nathalie practically threw her towards Jagged Stone.

In a low voice, Nathalie said to Lila, ‘This is your last warning.’

‘She attacked me!’

‘You are playing a game that you do not understand.’

‘Neither do you!’ Lila straightened her shoulders but remembered to cradle her wrist. ‘What’ll you do? Send your lawyers after me? The _Agreste_ lawyers?’

Nathalie turned to security. ‘Escort her from the premises.’

‘This way, Mademoiselle,’ said one of the guards.

‘Have you no empathy for my situation?’

‘I have no use for empaths.’

A sneer slipped out. ‘Oh, I’ve heard you have plenty of use for one.’ She tilted her head. ‘Is it true they make the best lovers?’

Marinette tensed, ready to spring.

Jagged Stone put a hand on her shoulder. ‘Watch and learn. Nath’s got it.’

Nathalie remained expressionless. ‘Revenge is beneath me, but accidents happen.’

Lila’s eyes narrowed. ‘Are you threatening me?’

She jumped as Penny said, ‘Didn’t your parents teach you to be afraid of the calmest person in the room?’

‘Bitch,’ spat the girl.

Penny caught Lila by the arm and pinned her against the table. ‘Security.’

Lila wailed and writhed beneath Penny’s grip. ‘Someone help! She’s going to break my arm!’

‘You’d only be so lucky.’ Penny held the pressure on the arm.

As security marched Lila from the room, Marinette handed Nathalie a tissue.

Nathalie scrubbed the spit from her face.

‘Are you all right?’ said Marinette.

‘Just another day.’

Jagged Stone said, ‘Come on, Marinette. Let’s get you cleaned up.’

Nathalie walked with them, the click of her low heels muffled by the carpet.

When Marinette sat on the couch in the suite, she realised the jacket was still cradled in her arms.

Jagged Stone said, ‘What do I do, Nath? I’m terrible at emotion stuff.’

‘You’re British. Follow the national directive and make her a cup of tea.’

‘Right! Just like Mum used to.’

Marinette stared at the sodden jacket in her arms.

‘Just order from room service, Jonathan!’ Nathalie pried the jacket from Marinette’s hands. ‘I’m not sure we can save your clothes from the stains.’

‘She ruined my work. She targeted me, just like in school.’

Nathalie handed her a box of tissue. ‘Take calming breaths. I’m going to have the driver take you to your parents’ tonight.’

‘But my exams!’

Jagged Stone awkwardly shoved a cup of tea into Marinette’s hand. ‘Sugar? L—?’ He stopped and stared at the wall. In English, he said, ‘What’s the word for cream?’

‘ _Crème_ ,’ said Nathalie, removing Marinette’s sweater to expose the tank top beneath.

‘Ta.’ He poured generous helpings of both into Marinette’s mug. ‘Sweet, milky tea is always best for a shock. That’s what Gran always said.’

‘You’re babbling in English,’ said Nathalie in French.

‘Fuck French.’

Marinette sipped her tea. Her eyes bugged at the overwhelming sweetness.

Nathalie picked up the formal jacket and shoot it out. She turned it over.

‘Know of any miracle dry cleaners?’ said Jagged Stone.

‘Not who could work with this in the available time.’ She folded the jacket and lay it over a chair. ‘But you’ve never stuck to conventions. Marinette?’

She looked up, blinking back her tears.

‘Forget about the jacket. Find a way to own this.’

‘I still have exams—’

‘Forget the exams,’ said Jagged Stone. ‘I’ll call your university and tell them that you’re working on a real life fashion disaster.’ He grinned. ‘And if that fails, we’ll sic Penny and Nath on them.’

‘Surely there’s no reason to be that cruel,’ said Penny, closing the door behind her.

Marinette hiccoughed. ‘What did you do with Lila?’

‘She was escorted from the building. Unfortunately, there was no proof that she did anything deliberately.’ Penny sat down and put an arm around Marinette’s shoulders. ‘I’m sorry.’

Marinette stared at the tie hanging loosely around Jagged’s neck. Without the jacket, it was a basic skinny tie and purple shirt. But it didn’t have to stay that way.

‘I need my sewing bag.’

 

 

Marinette sat on her parents’ couch, a blanket pulled up to her chin as she sped-read her notes. Her phone lit up with a message.

She smiled at the picture of Jagged Stone and Penny posing with a giant cheque displaying the total amount raised for charity. The slashing in his purple shirt caught the light perfectly.

A message popped up beneath it: _Rocking the Jacketless Jagged look tonight! Best! xx_

‘You did great, Marinette,’ said Tikki. ‘You finished your work twice and made everyone happy! And you still had time to study.’

‘But Lila still made me angry.’ Marinette set her book down. ‘I wanted to kill her, Tikki.’

Tikki’s smile faded. ‘I know. Lila is sowing her own destruction. All you can do is stay away from her.’

Marinette pulled her knees to her chest. ‘I wish Adrien was here.’

‘I know.’ Tikki hugged Marinette’s cheek. ‘He’ll be home soon. And in the meantime, you had a really good support group today!’

‘Yeah, I did.’ Marinette smiled. ‘Jagged and Penny are always great.’

Tikki giggled. ‘You don’t need to worry about Lila. I think Nathalie will take care of her.’

‘You heard what Lila said, about Gabriel being an empath? Do you think she knows?’

‘She was Akumatized the most. She might have figured out Hawkmoth’s identity because of that.’

‘We should put her on the short list for our investigation into Farfallina.’ Marinette yawned and rubbed her eyes.

‘Go to bed, Marinette. Lady Luck will do just fine on her test tomorrow.’ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta reader literally wrote "bitch" all over the interaction with Lila. Highly entertaining.


	9. Mental Fog

Adrien stared at the text in front of him. The letters swam and floated, twisting and contorting themselves into half-Chinese, half-Latin symbols.

Faint sounds attempted to permeate the fog: the ringing of a phone, the shouting of a name, an endless droning of the word ‘cheese’.

‘…Be certain that all members of your negotiating team know and agree on exactly what you want out of the deal. Write this down (perhaps adding a few “nice to haves” that can be given away later) and bring it with you. Do not show the…

‘Until you have a signed a [ _sic_ ] formal agreement, do not get overconfident about the deal at hand. And never expect that you can renegotiate later for a better deal. This contract is as advantageous as you will ever get…’

He flipped forward several pages.

‘Sources of Anxiety Reduction: The family is the most important unit of social organization, and life is an organization of obligations to relationship…a natural feeling of superiority and confidence in their political system. This gives them a feeling of national and personal security. One must work for the harmony in the group, so emotional restraint is prized and aggressive behaviour is frowned upon…’

‘Adrien Agreste!’

Adrien jerked alert and wiped the drool from his mouth.

‘Open this door right now before I call the police or your wife!’

He stumbled across the living area and yanked the door open.

Chloe pushed past him. ‘About time! You better have been listening to the new Jagged Stone album with headphones to ignore me for so long.’

He blinked at her. ‘Huh?’

She moved a stack of papers and plopped onto the couch. ‘We were going to study for Wednesday’s exam. Remember?’

Adrien blinked again.

‘Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese, Adrien! Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese.’

Chloe tilted her head. ‘Are you going to feed him or should I?’

‘“The children will wail! And the whales will wail, “CHEEEEeeeEEEEeeeeEEEEESE”!’

‘Feed who?’

Both of Chloe’s eyebrows rose. She shook her head and went to the fridge. ‘Have you done any grocery shopping since last week, Model Boy?’

The wails demanding cheese appeared to be originating from a black dot hovering in the middle of Adrien’s vision.

Chloe slammed the fridge door shut and whistled.

‘I’m not a dog,’ said the dot.

‘Look, if you don’t want it—’

The black dot shot over to her hand. ‘You’ve saved me.’

‘Yeah, yeah, you owe me your life and your honour. Whatever.’ Chloe looked under papers on the kitchen counter. ‘Where are you glasses?’

Adrien shook himself. ‘My what?’

Chloe dug through papers and books on the counter, the table, and finally the couch.

The small black frames lay tucked between the floor and the couch.

When Chloe slid the frames onto his nose, Adrien’s world suddenly became clearer.

‘When did you last eat?’

‘Uh…’

She smacked his cheek, rapidly but gently. ‘Hello, Agreste! Anybody home?’

He caught her hand. ‘Stop that!’

‘At least you’re awake. When did you last eat?’

‘Uh…’

She shook her head. ‘Dupain-Cheng totally owes me. Put your shoes on. We’re going to get dinner.’

‘You’re mean.’

‘More like I mean business. We have a test tomorrow that we are going to knock out of the park so we can go home early this week because I want to see my stupid Tomato. Do you know I haven’t gotten any for almost a month because of schedules?’

Adrien shoved his feet into his shoes. ‘Where’s Plagg?’

‘Just barely here, no thanks to you,’ said the Kwami. He gulped down the rest of his cheese. ‘Can we go to the Italian restaurant you took Marinette?’

‘We’re looking for high protein, low carbs,’ said Chloe. ‘Christmas is coming and that means way too many high-fat foods. Also, brain power.’

‘You have need of that?’

Pollen buzzed angrily from the depths of Chloe’s fur hood. ‘Don’t you dare speak to my Queen like that!’

Adrien collected his coat and wallet.

Chloe handed him his phone. ‘Looks like I’m not the only one trying to call you.’

Adrien checked the notifications. Texts from a dozen different numbers, an insane number of notifications, nine missed calls, five of which were from Chloe. He rubbed his eyes. ‘How long was I asleep?’

‘Forever,’ moaned Plagg.

‘Don’t exaggerate,’ said Chloe, closing the door behind them. She inhaled sharply at the cold wind.

‘Fine. It was thirty-seven minutes.’

Adrien yawned until he felt like his head would split open.

‘Have you been sleeping?’ said Chloe.

‘Not with last week’s studying and worrying about Marinette facing Akumas without me.’ His fist bumped his glasses as he tried to rub his eyes. ‘Stupid things.’

‘Does your dad know about those?’

‘Nope, haven’t seen him since we found out.’ He pulled a hat from his pocket and shoved it over his hair. ‘Still sorting through emotions and feelings. I mean, a new brother or sister is big enough, but Hawk—’ He took several calming breaths.

‘Have you talked to Nathalie?’

‘No, but I asked Miriam how they’re doing.’

‘And?’

‘She said that Nathalie may or may not be threatening to, and I quote, “extract your father’s liver and feed it to the nearest eagle during the next Akuma attack”. End quote.’

Choe sniggered. ‘She’s going to lose it one day and the courts will have no choice but to declare it a justified execution of a public nuisance.’

‘If not a public menace, then definitely a public hazard,’ said Plagg. He saw an American-style restaurant. ‘Ooh! Cheeseburgers?’

‘No.’

‘Cheesy fries?’

‘No.’

‘You’re no fun.’

‘Plagg, I’m running on thirty-seven minute nap and no idea when I last ate.’

Plagg cleared his throat. ‘You ate a ham and cheese croissant at 9:30 this morning. The cheese was an extremely mature cheddar of reasonable quality. Since then you have consumed two espressos, four house coffees, and something called a Yerba.’

Chloe opened the door to a random eatery. ‘Let’s get some actual food in you.’

‘I don’t know if I’m up for food.’

Chloe put a hand on her hip and said sweetly, ‘If so, have fun explaining to Marinette why she’ll love having to resort to a vibrator instead of her usual weekend entertainment.’

Adrien flushed and darted inside.

‘That’s what I thought.’ She stalked after him. ‘Newlyweds, seriously.’

They ordered their food and took the first table available.

Adrien inhaled his entrée in three bites. ‘Apparently I was hungry.’

‘Y’think?’ Chloe shoved her tray at him. ‘Here, I ate a couple hours ago.’

‘You really are a good friend.’ He grabbed his fork and tucked in.

A student from one of their lectures two semesters ago walked up to them. ‘Hey, you’re Adrien Agreste, right?’

The standard PR smile appeared before wobbling from exhaustion. ‘I am. How can I help?’

‘There’s an Akuma in Paris. It looks like it’s attacked your dad.’

Adrien pulled up the live feed. ‘You’d think he’d know better by now.’

‘Disgruntled employee?’ said Chloe, stealing a piece of asparagus from his plate.

‘Just that.’

‘Is it the new secretary?’

‘Nope. Looks like one of the junior designers.’

‘Well, relax. There’s nothing we can do. Ladybug and the gang will take care of it.’

‘But—but—’

On the screen, Rena Rouge vaulted off of Carapace’s shield and soared over the Akuma.

Chloe gave Adrien a Look. ‘Eat your salad before I do. And tell Plagg there’s cheesecake in it for him if he refuses to transform.’

Plagg’s ears poked up over Adrien’s collar. ‘I hear and obey, my Queen.’

‘Hey!’ snapped Pollen. ‘I’m telling Tikki.’

‘Yeah, you do that,’ said Plagg. ‘We’ll see how long either of us lasts before Tikki bullies the Guardian into forcing us to hold hands or something.’

‘Something like making you do patrols all on your own?’

They looked up at Chloe in horror.

She reached across the table and pried the phone from Adrien’s hands. ‘You don’t need to look at that. You need to eat.’

‘But, my dad…’

‘He’s weathered plenty of Akumas before. I’m sure one more isn’t going to kill him.’ Chloe sat back and watched Adrien force himself to eat. ‘Refusing to eat isn’t going to help anyone.’

‘Look, will you let me be? I don’t need your nagging!’

Chloe crossed her arms. ‘Apparently you do because you’re not eating. I’m your oldest friend; I’d be an idiot to let you kill yourself over your emotions.’

Adrien glared at the diced tomato on his fork. ‘That’d be a great epitaph for my part of the family mausoleum.’ 

‘Right next to your father’s “emotions are for peasants [terms and conditions apply]” engraving?’ Chloe ordered two slices of cheesecake and pushed them both in front of her friend.

Plagg pounced on the treat. Satisfied slurps sounded from behind the rapidly diminishing slice.

Adrien finished his slice and put the fork down. ‘All right, are you happy now?’

‘Happier. Now we’re helping ourselves to that excellent bottle of whisky at your flat and you’re going to talk about what’s bothering you.’

‘What happened to studying?’

Chloe checked the tip of her ponytail for split ends before pulling her hood up. ‘I’ve been studying all day. I’m ready to ace this test. But you,’ she shoved her friend out into the freezing air, ‘you, Adrien Agreste, are an emotional wreck and we’re going to talk.’

‘Do we have to?’

‘I’ve let you wallow for almost two weeks. Don’t make me frog march you to a therapist.’

‘Fine.’ He pulled his hat low, almost to his eyebrows. ‘Do we have to go back to my flat? Can we just walk and talk?’

‘Buy me a hot chocolate and yes.’

‘Done.’

They walked for ten minutes before Adrien said, ‘I can’t believe I had to find out that way.’

Chloe sipped her drink.

‘I mean, learning about a sibling by accident is bad enough, but learning Hawkmoth’s identity?’ He shoved his hands deeper into his pocket. ‘It sucks, Chloe. It really sucks. He used work to hide from the world. Was my mom more important than me? Is that why he shut me out?’

He kicked a rock, rolling it along the pavement until it disappeared into the grass. ‘But then there’s the fact that he gave it all up voluntarily. He stopped himself.’

Adrien rubbed his nose.

Chloe waited.

‘He chose me over her after all. He chose me.’

Dried leaves rustled as the wind whipped them along the pavement.

Chloe threw her empty cup in the garbage bin as they walked past it.

‘But that doesn’t account for all the lying and deception. He talked so much about trusting each other! And Gorzilla—’ Adrien kicked the trashcan. ‘I almost died!’

‘If you really want to kick something, we’ll go to the dojo or whatever it’s called so you can work out your Agrestession.’

Adrien stopped kicking but ignored the pun. ‘He intentionally Akumatized my bodyguard. He put Ladybug and me—He was okay with killing teenagers to get his wife—to get my mom back!’ He sat down on the cement steps. ‘Chloe, what do I do?’

Chloe rubbed one leg against the other. She should have worn heavier boots. ‘You have three options: Classic Adrien: Ignore it; it was a long time ago. Surely they had a justifiable reason.’

Adrien winced. ‘What if I don’t want to be Classic Adrien?’

‘The Marinette approach: Full attack and punch it until it stops moving or someone separates the two of you. Then demand justice.’

‘Because beating my father to a pulp is going to end super well for us.’

‘Nino would be happy to help.’

Adrien’s legs jiggled.

Chloe pulled her hood more tightly around her head. ‘Option three: The New Agreste, in which case you go back to counselling.’

‘And how exactly am I supposed to talk about this? Wouldn’t it supersede any confidentiality agreements because of public safety?’ Adrien pulled his hat off and rubbed the back of his neck. Despite the chill, sweat coated his skin. ‘I can’t even talk to Master Fu. Why did Farfallina have to kill him?’

‘Practicality, as likely as not,’ said Chloe. ‘And it sends a message.’

‘What message?’

‘That she possesses a conviction the previous Holder lacked.’

‘Conviction? Hawkmoth was willing to do whatever it took.’

Chloe scooted a rock across the pavement. ‘Look, your father had months of study and almost endless resources as far as getting the results he wanted. He took months to decide to act, and when he did, it wasn’t as determined as it could have been. He Akumatized teenagers: Big emotions that may or may not last a long time.’

‘But never murderers or thieves?’

‘Or corrupt politicians. He lacked the conviction of getting the Miraculouses at any price, no matter what.’ Chloe clenched her jaw, trying to keep from shivering. ‘He wasn’t willing to pay the price, no matter what he had convinced himself.’

‘That’s not like my father. He has always taken what he wants.’

‘Sort of.’

Adrien massaged his hands, trying to get rid of the pins and needles feeling.

‘Gabriel Agreste is willing to do whatever it takes to complete a goal as long as he is in control, an advantage to having people do his dirty work for him. Putting himself in the middle of an Akuma attack was a bold move, but he could always transform and take control again in a heartbeat.’ 

She crouched by her friend, looking into his green eyes. ‘He’s always paying attention to the cost-benefit ratio. Heroes’ Day was the closest he came to going all out. He overextended himself and paid highly for that.’

‘It took five of us to stop him.’

‘Against all of his Akumas.’

‘He’s not as strong as you think he is. Take it from someone who knows: Our parents’ shadows are never as big as we think they are.’ 

‘Mom always said…’ Adrien frowned.

‘What?’

He rubbed his neck. ‘You punched me last week.’

‘Still have the bruised knuckles, thank you.’

‘Chlo.’

‘What?’

‘Never mind.’

‘Shan’t.’ She cocked her head, narrowing her eyes. ‘Was it the day we played pirates?’

He looked up and gnawed on his lower lip. ‘She hit him and yelled at him. You were there.’

‘We hid on the mezzanine.’

He nodded. ‘And Father just stood there, taking the—’ He swallowed hard and rubbed his hands on his trousers. Memories rushed through his mind, memories that meant something entirely different from the new perspective.

Chloe waited patiently. Her knees threatened to lock up if she crouched for much longer, and her toes were frozen. 

Adrien stood up. ‘I think it’s time for that whiskey.’ He helped Chloe stand. ‘Thanks for, I dunno, everything.’

‘Sure, but you’re on your own if you ever find out another parent’s a big baddie.’

Adrien hugged her tightly. ‘I’m glad we’re still friends.’

‘Me, too.’ She smacked his arm and broke away. ‘But can we get inside already? My shoes and hair are totally ruined!’

He caught her in a headlock and said, ‘You’re ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!’ But he was smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The passages Adrien reads in the beginning of the chapter are from the book 'Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands' by Terri Morrison and is on the reading list for a 400-level business course at the university I work at.


	10. A Musical Review (Brought to You by Plagg, the Bored and Eternally Hungry Kwami of Destruction)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plagg gets bored.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a short chapter, but it still checks out.

One more exam until Christmas break.

Chloe set a French press of coffee in the middle of the coffee table along with a container of oven-warmed _pain du chocolate_. ‘Ready for our last study session?’

‘Nope.’ Adrien shoved an entire _pain du chocolate_ in his mouth, eyes fixed on the laptop screen.

Pollen crept out from under Chloe’s blanket and dragged a pastry back to her warm hidey-hole.

Chloe wrapped the blanket around herself and picked up a battered notebook.

Plagg sniffed at the pastries. ‘Of course she forgets me.’ He hummed a note before singing, ‘Another hero, another mindless pastry/ Behind the counter in the favourite bakery.’

Chloe turned the page of her textbook.

‘On and on…does anybody know what we are living for?’ Plagg looked around.

No reaction.

He took a deep breath and belted, ‘The studying goes on! The studying goes o-o-o-on! Outside, the dawn in breaking on the page/ That holds our final destiny!’

Pollen’s eyes glowed from within the tent. ‘Inside my sleep is breaking, my pastry may be flaking, but my smile still stays on.’

Together they sang, ‘The studying goes on! The studying goes o-o-o-on!’

‘Quiet, you two,’ said Adrien, burying his fingers in his hair.

Plagg looked down at his stomach. ‘But I’m wasting away.’ He rubbed his belly. ‘Feed me, Adrien, feed me! Feed me all night long!’

Chloe looked up from her work. She sang at Plagg, ‘Little cheese, little cheese o’ horrors!’

He wrinkled his nose. ‘It’s not a horror.’

‘Check the fridge.’

‘That is a horror!’ He shivered. ‘It’s cold and dark.’

‘Really, Plagg?’ said Pollen.

The black cat sniffed pathetically and curled into a ball. ‘Go ahead and judge me, sitting there in your warm tent with your Chosen, stuffed full of your favourite foods.’

‘I wouldn’t call pastries my favourite food.’

Plagg gulped back a pathetic sob. ‘They’re Tikki’s favourite food.’

‘Are you admitting that you miss her?’ Pollen grinned.

Plagg sighed dramatically and burrowed beneath Adrien’s blanket.

Five hundred more words came into existence. Three study guides were dragged from the deep recesses of time and space for review.

Pollen dozed, curled up against Chloe’s mug of tea.

Adrien’s head flopped forward onto his keyboard.

Chloe grabbed a pencil and tapped him sharply behind the ear.

‘Ow!’ He rubbed at the spot.

‘We sleep when back in Paris.’

‘Says you. You run on coffee and pixie dust.’

‘You’re thinking of Rose.’

‘I’m lucky to be thinking at all! These medieval grain laws are a nightmare.’

Chloe stuck the pencil between her teeth as she dug out a book from the trenches of academia, aka, her backpack.

‘How much more can one psyche bear?’

‘Listen, Agreste. Play your cards right, and you will never have to do school after this. Enjoy it while you have it.’

He pried his eyes open. ‘And what about you?’

‘I’ll see you all in court.’ She shoved the pencil into her hair.  

‘I overheard Nathalie and the lawyers talking about recruiting you. Something about better to have “such a nuisance” on our side than the other.’

Chloe’s lips twitched into a smirk. ‘You get what you pay for.’

‘It’d be great to have you at the company.’

She looked up. ‘Agreste Fashions is not the only fish in the sea. It’s simply a large one. Besides, I have grad school. Who knows if you’ll be able to afford me afterwards?’

Adrien tilted his head. ‘How much do you think you’re worth?’

He dodged the calculator flying towards his head.

Four hundred more words appeared on one word document.

Six hundred words appeared on the other.

Two more rounds of coffee came and went.

Plagg buzzed around the refrigerator. ‘Did I abuse her or show her disdain? Why does she hide from me? If I should lose her how shall I regain/ the heart she has won from me?

‘Camembert! Beyond power of speech.’ Plagg sagged against the refrigerator door. ‘When the one thing you want,’ he raised a limp paw, ‘is the only thing out of your reach.’

Pollen crossed her arms. ‘You can phase through the door.’

‘CAMEMBERT!!!!’ Plagg mimed ripping a shirt open. ‘Far more stinky than yours!’

Adrien slammed his book shut. ‘That’s it.’

Plagg gasped with delight. ‘Camembert?’

‘Plagg,’ Adrien ripped the ring off his finger, ‘I renounce you.’

The Kwami disappeared into the ring.

Chloe raised her eyebrows.

‘Temporarily.’ Adrien shoved the ring into his pencil case and returned to his paper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The songs Plagg sings are, in order: "The Show Must Go On" (Moulin Rouge), "Feed Me (Git It!)" and "Little Shop of Horrors" (Little Shop of Horrors), and "Agony" (Into the Woods).


	11. 400 Yards of Black Velvet

Ladybug landed on the roof of her parents’ bakery and detransformed. She caught Tikki and climbed through the window into her old bedroom. ‘That one was faster than usual.’

‘Maybe Farfallina doesn’t like Thursdays,’ said Tikki.

‘I’m not complaining if that’s the case,’ said Marinette. She went down the flights of stairs to the bakery. ‘Hi, Papa.’ She kissed him on the cheek. ‘Where’s Maman?’

Tom looked up from the batch of dough on the board. ‘Making a delivery.’ He hugged his daughter, carefully avoiding her clothes with his floury hands. ‘How are you today?’

‘I had my last exam, so much better.’  

Tikki went straight to a pan of freshly baked cookies and collected one. She blinked sweetly at Tom. ‘Please, may I?’

He grinned. ‘Of course! You’re doing just as much of the work as the rest of them. And you’re much more polite than that rat Kwami.’

‘The Rat Kwami—Oh! You mean Plagg!’ Tikki laughed hard enough to fall off the table. She caught herself and the cookie before either could come to harm.

‘He steals like a rat.’

‘Only cheese, Papa.’ Marinette took the tray of cookies and slid the treats onto a cooling rack.

‘Would you like to stay for dinner?’ said Tom.

‘Depends; are you needing someone to cook it?’

‘Not tonight. Your mom made her spicy noodles.’

‘Yum. I stopped by to see if she would make some for me.’ Marinette pirouetted and dropped the pan in the sink. ‘I need to do some cleaning before Adrien comes home tomorrow, but I should be fine.’ She stretched. ‘I can’t wait to get a new bedframe.’

‘Yes, how did you break the current one?’

Marinette turned bright red and stumbled into the table.

Tom laughed. ‘I don’t need to know and I don’t want to know. Unless he’s hurting you, and then a rolling pin will be the kindest treatment he can expect.’

‘We got a little rough,’ said Marinette, blushing. ‘I also came to get pastries for tomorrow. He’s taking the early train from Lille and should be home before I’m out of bed.’

‘So, about eleven in the morning?’

‘Papa!’

The bell over the door tinkled, and Sabine entered. She rolled a little wire cart behind her. ‘Marinette!’ She hugged her daughter tightly. ‘Are you okay after today?’

‘I’m fine, Maman.’

Tom stepped back from the dough. ‘What happened?’

‘There was an especially aggressive Akuma today,’ said Sabine, washing her hands before putting on an apron. ‘I didn’t realise how much Chat Noir protects you until I saw the battle today.’

‘Rena was more than up to the task today,’ said Marinette, resisting the urge to rub her sore ribs. 

‘Where was Carapace?’

Marinette wrinkled her nose. ‘Same as everyone else in France: Exams. I was on my way here when Whale of a Tale struck.’

‘Whale of a Tale?’

‘Disgruntled literature student.’ She shook herself. ‘But we saved him, so all is well.’

Sabine put her hands on her hips. ‘Marinette, I saw what that Akuma did to you and Rena. Sit down and let me look at you.’

‘The Miraculous Ladybug heals everything.’ Marinette sat on the designated stool and rolled up her shirt to expose her lower ribs.

‘Doesn’t mean there isn’t any mental damage.’ Sabine kissed her daughter’s forehead and examined the ribs. ‘I saw you struggling. It’s hard as a parent to not be able to do anything.’

‘You can help me pick out breakfast for tomorrow.’

‘Is Adrien going to want any breakfast when he sees you?’ Tom’s eyes twinkled.

Marinette stared at her father. ‘Gross!’

Sabine wrapped an arm around her husband’s. ‘That’s not very nice, Tom. Remember, we were newlyweds once.’

‘And my mother made every inappropriate joke she could think of.’

‘I remember her brothers making the rest.’ Sabine shook her head. ‘But you didn’t hear what my side of the family was saying.’

‘For which I’m thankful. There were enough jokes about noodles twining in bowls—’

‘Speaking of noodles!’ said Marinette loudly and brightly. ‘Do you want me to heat up tonight’s dinner?’

Tom shook a flour and dough covered finger at her. ‘Kids today; so delicate.’

Marinette sprinted for the refuge of the upstairs kitchen.

Later, as the small family cleaned up the dinner mess, Sabine’s phone rang. ‘Hello? Yes, she’s here.’

She put her hand over the mouthpiece. ‘Marinette, do you have your phone with you? It’s Miriam Farah.’

‘That’s Gabriel’s assistant,’ said Marinette. She pulled her phone from her purse. ‘Oops. It’s dead.’

Sabine handed her phone over.

‘Hi, Miriam?’ Marinette leaned against the wall. ‘Sorry, can you speak louder?’

‘I can’t,’ whispered Miriam over the phone. ‘We have a situation, and I don’t dare leave her alone.’

‘What sort of situation? Akumas?’

‘Worse.’ Miriam took a deep breath. ‘Ms Sancoeur is crying.’

Marinette looked at the phone and checked that the number was indeed Miriam’s. It was. ‘I’m sorry?’

‘Ms Sancoeur and I were in a meeting when we were alerted that 400 yards of black velvet had been delivered.’

Marinette checked the phone number again. ‘How many yards?’

‘Four hundred, four zero zero, yards of black velvet have been delivered to the building.’ Miriam sighed. It sounded like she was rubbing her forehead. 

‘Why so much?’

‘We’ve been going through the records. As far as we can tell, 40 yards were requested and no one caught the extra zero. And now Ms Sancoeur is crying. I considered contacting Mr Agreste—’

‘No!’

Tom and Sabine looked up.

‘No, that’s a terrible idea,’ said Marinette, pacing about the living area. ‘Someone else—someone who doesn’t have to work with him on a daily basis—can tell him and whoever else needs notifying.’

‘Very well.’

‘Can you call Penny Rolling or Ramona Zaragoza to help with the crying part?’

Sabine went downstairs to pack pastries heavy with chocolate.

‘I already tried.’ Miriam sounded on the verge of tears herself. ‘They’re both out of country. You were the only other person I could think of. I found your mother’s number in Ms Sancoeur’s records.’

Marinette muttered a few choice words. ‘I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Call if she stops crying or leaves.’ Marinette hung up and shouted into the void.

‘What’s wrong?’ said Tom.

‘Nathalie has emotions and I’m on call to help fix it.’ Marinette collected her purse and looked for her coat. ‘Stupid Agreste family. Why can’t any of them have normal, healthy emotions?’

‘You didn’t bring a coat,’ said Tom. ‘You came as Ladybug.’

‘Oh, right.’

Tom smiled and collected one of her old coats from the closet. ‘It’s a little small, but it’ll keep the worst of the chill out.’

Tikki dove into Marinette’s purse. ‘Pregnancy is hard on the emotions. It’s interesting that this is what broke Nathalie’s reserve.’

Marinette glowered at her Kwami. ‘If I turn into an emotional mess when I’m pregnant—’

Sabine came upstairs, a bag of pastries in hand. ‘If she can’t stop crying, this should help distract her. And do remind her she’s eating for two.’

‘Does that woman eat?’ said Tom.

Sabine raised her hands in the universal ‘who knows?’ gesture.

‘Are we going as Ladybug?’ said Tikki.

‘Too many cameras there,’ said Marinette. ‘We’ll take the metro.’

Tom collected his coat from the closet. ‘I can give you a ride.’

‘Are you sure, Papa?’

‘It’s getting late enough that I’d feel better knowing that you’re not on the metro.’

‘I’m twenty-one! And a superhero.’

‘And you’re still my daughter, especially with attitude like that.’

Marinette thought for a moment. ‘I’m almost tempted to just grab Nathalie and bring her back. You’re both a much better support system than I could be.’

‘Starting with the fact that we’re almost the same age?’ said Sabine wryly.

‘And have been through a pregnancy already,’ said Marinette.

Sabine’s smile dimmed. ‘She’s welcome to stay here. I’m sure the mansion isn’t the best place for rocky emotions right now.’

‘Is it ever?’ Marinette hugged her mother and followed her father to their car.

A soft drizzle settled over Paris as they drove.

Tom said, ‘You know that it’s not your responsibility to save this family, right?’ He flipped his blinker and turned down the correct street.

Marinette looked at her dad, the man she could go to with everything. ‘I know. I’m not doing this because I have to. You and Maman and I have such a wonderful family. And Adrien’s so lucky to be a part of it now. And then we spend time with his father and everything is about performance and a twisted form of love.’

‘I’m glad you have the Ladybug Miraculous, even if it is always putting you in danger.’

‘Not always!’

‘Those Akumas still need to loaf you alone.’

‘Papa!’

When they pulled up in front of the brightly lit building of glass and steel, Tom said, ‘Do you want me to wait?’

‘Thanks, but Nathalie should have her car.’ She undid her seatbelt but didn’t open the door. ‘Was Maman serious about letting Nathalie stay with you?’

Tom nodded. The streetlight caught the silver in his moustache. ‘She may be married, but she’s doing this alone.’ He looked at the building. ‘Everyone needs family, and we have more than enough love to share.’

Marinette hugged her father. ‘I’ll text if I’m bringing her over. She’s stubborn enough to insist on going home.’

‘Or staying here?’

She grimaced. ‘Guess it’s time to find out which of us is the more stubborn.’

‘I look forward to learning the results.’

She climbed out and swiped her ID at the entrance.

An exhausted looking Miriam waited in the lobby. ‘Thank goodness; you’re here.’

‘Is she still crying?’ said Marinette, following the assistant to the loading docks.

‘It’s more controlled, but she hasn’t moved.’ Miriam eyed the bag of pastries. ‘You’re feeling brave.’

‘My parents taught me that when it’s the end of the world, eat your emotions until they’re too full to bother you.’

Miriam tilted her head in reluctant agreement.

‘Do you know if her car is here?’

‘It’s in the parking garage.’ The light reflected off of Miriam’s matte emerald nails as she keyed in the code to the loading docks. She held the door open. ‘She’s in dock 17.’

‘Thanks,’ said Marinette. ‘Go ahead and go home.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Definitely.’

Miriam beamed her thanks before disappearing.

Marinette walked through the corridors to the dock 17. She knocked twice on the door before entering the brightly lit room. ‘ _Mon Dieu_.’

Yards upon yards upon yards of black velvet covered the floor. Black velvet spilled out of crates.

Black velvet lay spread over the floor.

Marinette stared. ‘What happened?’

Nathalie sat in the middle of the pile, hairpins held loosely in one hand. Her hair hung over her shoulders, and her glasses rested on the desk. She glanced up at Marinette before returning to staring at the expanse of velvet.

Marinette sat down next to Nathalie. She set the bag in between them. ‘You look like you need that.’

Nathalie shook her head. Her free hand rested on her belly.

Tikki crawled out of Marinette’s purse and perched on her shoulder.

The rain poured down as the three sat in silence. The smell of cooling pastries filled the room.

The lights hummed.

‘When did you last eat?’ said Tikki.

Nathalie looked up at the Kwami. She blinked. ‘I think at lunch.’

The Kwami nodded knowingly. ‘Low blood sugar combined with a shock after prolonged stress.’

‘You’ve seen it before.’

Tikki smiled encouragingly. ‘A few times.’ She cast a knowing look at Marinette.

The young designer blushed and dug out a chocolate croissant. ‘Here. My mom said to remind you that you’re eating for two.’

Nathalie took the pastry. She ripped off a small piece of and nibbled on it. She chewed slowly before swallowing.

‘How is it?’

‘It tastes like a chocolate croissant.’ Nathalie tore another small piece off.

‘It’s not just a chocolate croissant,’ said Tikki, buzzing excitedly. ‘It’s a Dupain-Cheng croissant! Only the best in Paris.’

Nathalie managed a weak smile. ‘I’m sure they are.’

Tikki gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Eating more slowly doesn’t mean there are fewer calories in what you eat.’

‘You’ll have to excuse me. I don’t normally eat pastries.’

‘No, you mostly run on black coffee and the odd high-protein meal.’ Tikki made a _tsk_ -ing noise. ‘You’re pregnant. A human being is growing in you. You need to take care of it if just because it’s taking care of you.’

Nathalie set the half-nibbled croissant down. ‘There’s no need to call me out.’

Marinette shifted her position. ‘My parents said that you’re welcome to stay at their house tonight.’

‘That’s kind of them.’

‘You’re welcome to stay in my guest room, if you’d rather. It’s covered in sewing stuff, but it’s,’ Marinette bit her lip, ‘it’s not the mansion.’

‘I hate that place. I’d have Gabriel sell it if possible, move into something smaller.’ She smiled darkly, her eyes half-closed. ‘He’d have to clean out Emilie’s closets then.’

‘He still has all of her stuff? I thought he was doing better.’

‘He progressed so far and then stopped. I didn’t realise how little progress he’d made until preparing to move in after the ceremony.’ Nathalie unconsciously pet Tikki.

The Ladybug Kwami looked at the hand in confusion before shrugging and allowing it.

‘He’s not a healthy person.’

‘The Industry has never had any room for healthy people.’

The heating kicked on.

Tikki settled on Nathalie’s rounded stomach. ‘You should go home. You’ll feel better after you sleep.’

 ‘But sleep means that I’ll have to face the press conference with Gabriel in the morning.’ Nathalie massaged her left forearm. ‘Act the happy couple.’

‘Have you spoken at all since finding out?’

‘Only when absolutely necessary. He’s angry that I don’t want the baby. I’m angry that he is insisting on keeping it and for—’ She picked at her nail polish.

Tikki crept up to Nathalie’s shoulder. ‘For what?’

Tears leaked down her cheeks. ‘He told me to go home, that he didn’t need me anymore.’

Marinette tensed. ‘Today?’

‘No.’ Nathalie wiped at her cheeks. ‘The night he figured out that I was pregnant.’ She tore a piece of the neutral coloured polish off. ‘I took three pregnancy tests, praying each time that the one before was lying. He was so excited.’ She ripped the remainder of the croissant in half and shoved it into her mouth. Through a mouthful, she said, ‘He has no right to be so excited.’

‘Sorry, I’m struggling to visualise Gabriel as excited.’

‘Fair enough.’ Nathalie took a new pastry and bit into it. ‘Excited for him. Something about Emilie refusing to let him have any part of Adrien’s life. They only moved back when her illness became too much to ignore.’

‘That’s messed up.’

‘That’s what I married. I have no one but myself to blame.’

The bag was swiftly emptied.

When the clock chimed ten, Marinette stood up. ‘Come on. You’re staying at my house tonight.’

‘Why?’

‘Because family takes care of each other.’


	12. Christmas Homecoming

Marinette put down the partially sewn dress and went to the buzzing intercom. ‘Hello?’

A dramatic voice said, ‘Yes, I have a package for a Madame Marinette Dupain-Cheng. It seems to be from a certain Plagg the Kwami?’

‘You’re ridiculous.’ She pushed the button to open the door.

Five minutes later, the elevator hummed.

Adrien’s key scraped in the lock.

Marientte tackled him as he stepped in, wrapping her legs around his waist and burying her fingers in his hair.

Adrien kicked the door shut and dropped his bag.

When they came up for air, he said, ‘I should leave more if this the homecoming I get.’

Marinette slipped down to the floor. ‘Well, excuse me. You’ve been gone for two weeks, and do you know how many Akumas you’ve missed?’

‘Five?’

‘Seven.’ Marinette turned her sewing machine off. ‘There were two that the news didn’t find and stream. Alya’s keeping quiet on them.’

‘Sensitive information?’

‘They were escaped convicts.’

‘Oh. That’s…not good.’

‘And has us all worried.’ She twined her fingers about his neck. ‘We saved all but one of them, a banker from the 6th arrondissement.’

‘I’m sorry, My Lady. Would my presence have helped?’

‘I don’t know. Farfallina is all over the place. Three of the Akumas were just in one day.’ Marinette took a gulp of her tea. ‘And then she goes completely silent for four days before sending another two.’

Adrien wrestled her into a cuddling position on the floor, his back pressed against the bookcase. ‘What I’m hearing is that we need to look for someone with a busy schedule.’

‘Yeah. Something like that.’ She arched her back. ‘Stop that! I can’t focus on saving Paris when you do that.’

‘Sorry, My Lady.’

‘You’re not sorry.’ She twisted around and looked him in the eye. ‘Although I may have to punish you, bad kitty.’

‘Exams are over for now, My Lady. I am yours to do with as you please.’

‘Excellent, because I have some delightfully wicked schemes involving you this weekend.’

‘Oh?’ His lips curled in anticipation.

‘Mm. The laundry room has black mould—’

‘Uh, what?’

‘Sh.’ She scratched the base of his neck.

Adrien started purring.

‘There’s a crack in the sitting room window, I need to donate a couple boxes of fabric to a school, we need a new bedframe, and the car needs a trip to the mechanic.’

Cross-eyed from pleasure, Adrien said, ‘What was that last one?’

‘The car?’ Marinette’s fingers stilled.

‘No, the bedframe. What’s wrong with the bedframe?’

Tikki emerged from her flannel nest wearing a tiny scarf and mittens. ‘Bedframes weren’t made for those kinds of acrobatics, Chat Noir.’

Adrien looked guilty. ‘Why have you been sleeping on a broken bedframe? Especially during exams?’

Marinette shrugged. ‘The couch has been more convenient.’

‘Until it got buried in her final project,’ said Tikki.

‘You could have called someone for help.’

‘I’ve been too busy, and Papa hurt his back, and all our friends are too busy with exams or fighting Akumas to help move a bed.’

‘That’s one of the advantages of having money: We pay people to do stuff that we don’t have time for.’

‘All right, Mr Moneybags.’

‘Please, Mr Moneybags is my father.’ He rubbed his forehead against hers.

‘Speaking of your father…’

‘I’d rather not.’

‘I know. How are you doing about all of this?’

‘Better. I haven’t talked with them at all.’ He pressed his forehead to hers. ‘Chloe was helpful.’

‘I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.’

‘Yeah, life sucks like that.’

Marinette looked into his green eyes, rubbing his cheeks with her thumbs. ‘I’m here, _minou_. I’m not going anywhere.’

‘I know.’

Their phones beeped; reminders about the photoshoot that afternoon.

‘Except for that,’ said Adrien.

Marinette dismissed the reminder on her phone. ‘Whatever shall we do for the next two hours?’

‘I’m sure I have no idea, My Lady.’ His hands slipped beneath her sweater.

She yelped.

‘What?’

‘Go warm up your hands!’

 

 

‘Smile! Relax your shoulders!’

The camera clicked.

‘Mr Agreste, can you pull your shoulder down and back? Yes, that’s perfect.’

Black spots appeared in Marinette’s vision as the high-powered flashes exploded.

‘Madame Dupain-Cheng, try not to squint. Relax your smile and lean into your husband, please. Not quite that far! Bring your left shoulder forward.’

Marinette tried to follow the instructions.

The photographer rested the camera against his hip. ‘You’re both tense. If rescheduling wasn’t such a bother, I’d tell you to have a good night together and try again in the morning.’

Adrien stood up and stretched. ‘We just need a walk. We’ll be back in ten, Vincent.’

The photographer muttered to himself.

Marinette pulled her coat on and wrapped her arm around Adrien’s waist. ‘Remind me why we didn’t take Christmas pictures well before this.’

‘Chronologically speaking: Spring Fashion Week, wedding, honeymoon, school, your summer internship and my summer abroad with the weekend in Milan shoved in somehow, Fall Fashion Week, school, Akumas, revelations about secret identities, exams.’

‘That sounds exhausting.’

‘Terribly.’

They walked along the Seine, quiet, enjoying being together again.

Tikki and Plagg cuddled in Adrien’s coat pocket.

‘Have you scattered Master Fu’s ashes yet?’

Marinette looked up. ‘Not yet. We wanted to wait until you would be able to join.’

He rubbed his thumb against her hand. ‘Thanks.’

They turned around and walked back to the shoot.

Vincent pounced on them. ‘I’ve changed my mind. No more posing. You looked ridiculous. It’s old fashioned. You’re going to take action shots. Be as cute and adorable and in love as you possibly can.’

‘Can we keep our coats on?’ said Marinette.

Vincent shook his head. ‘Sorry, still an Agreste Fashions ad.’

They surrendered their coats and stood with their backs to the river.

‘Madame Dupain-Cheng, stand in front of Mr Agreste, please,’ said Vincent.

Adrien wrapped his arms around his wife, his fingers playing with the hem of her wine-coloured sweater. His lips nipped her ear. ‘I know something that’ll keep us warm, even without our coats.’

Her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of pink.

Marinette whipped around, caught the knot of his tie, and pulled him close. ‘I’m sure you can.’

Their lips rested less than an inch apart.

Vincent’s camera clicked and whirred.

Adrien slipped an arm around Marinette, clasping her other hand in his. ‘Dance with me, My Lady.’ He hummed a tune, leading her through a waltz.

They paused, breathless, staring into each other’s eyes.

‘Olive ewe, My Lady.’

‘Adrien!’

‘ _Magnifico! Eccellente!_ ’ Vincent set his camera down. ‘You two have beautiful chemistry.’

‘For how much longer? He’s punning.’

‘No bunny compares to you.’

She wrapped her hands over his. ‘And words cannot espresso what you mean to me.’

Adrien collapsed at her feet, limbs splayed everywhere, a love-struck smile on his face.

The camera clicked faster.

Marinette nudged him with her foot. ‘I think he’s useless for the rest of the day.’ She looked around and grabbed him by the ankle.

As soon as she started dragging him, the stylist yelped. ‘Don’t ruin the sweater!’

‘I’m sure there are plenty more,’ said Marinette drily.

‘I surrender!’ Adrien sat up and yanked her into his arms.

Vincent snapped merrily, catching their genuine smiles and laughter.

‘Is that good enough?’ said the stylist. ‘Can we change outfits?’

‘Art is never “good enough”,’ said Vincent. ‘Was Michelangelo “good enough”? What about Leonardo? How about my mama’s spaghetti?’

Adrien rested his chin on Marinette’s shoulder. ‘Why is it always spaghetti?’ His hand rubbed at the knot between her shoulder blades.’

‘Stereotypes. Mm, yes, more right there.’

The set director yelped.

Everyone looked at her.

‘What’s wrong?’ said the stylist.

‘Check your emails.’ The set director’s eyes were open as wide as possible. ‘I can’t believe it.’

Adrien and Marinette pulled out their phones.

One of the technicians did a happy dance. ‘All right!’ He held his hands out. ‘Pay up, suckers! I called it.’

‘They announced it,’ said Adrien. ‘They announced the pregnancy at last.’

Marinette read through the company-wide email and opened up a series of texts from Nathalie. She stood up and dragged Adrien to his feet. ‘We need to go. Thanks, Vincent!’

The photographer continued to stare at his phone.

 

 

They found Gabriel and Nathalie just leaving the press conference.

Security shut the door as the reporters exploded with questions.

‘An email?’ said Adrien.

‘It’s better than allowing gossip to circulate,’ said Nathalie. ‘There was enough of that already.’ She removed Gabriel’s hand from her hip.

‘Are you two able to join us for lunch?’ Gabriel kept an eye on his wife.

Marinette and Adrien opened up their phones. Sure enough, a late lunch had been scheduled after the photoshoot.

‘Looks like it,’ said Marinette, shoving her phone back into her purse.

‘Good.’ Gabriel studied his son. ‘Are those from our brand?’

Adrien fiddled with the glasses on his nose. ‘No? The brand, uh, didn’t have anything I liked.’

‘Hm. They suit you.’

‘Thanks.’

A hush settled over the bullpen as the four walked to the elevator.

‘Why is everyone staring?’ said Gabriel as they stepped into the elevator.

‘They’re probably wondering how you two, the coldest people in Paris, managed to make a baby,’ said Marinette.

Nathalie pushed the button for the ground floor. ‘When a designer has a supremely successful event, there is usually only one way to calm them down enough for everyone to sleep.’

‘You mean the baby isn’t from a test tube?’

Gabriel looked at his heir with disappointment. ‘Why spend money on IVF when the natural way works just as well?’

Marinette’s cheeks took on a greenish hue. ‘So the baby was conceived at the Milan show?’

‘Oh, come on!’ said Adrien. ‘We were in the suite!’

‘Your room was at the other end,’ said Gabriel.

‘It’s the principle of the matter!’

Nathalie said, ‘Obviously we were quiet enough, not that the two of you could have heard much with your own celebrations.’

‘So this is going to be the Milan collection baby?’

Gabriel said, ‘You do owe your existence to the unexpected success of the Zodiac collection.’

Adrien’s eyes grew wide. ‘I did _not_ need to think of that. I was blissfully enjoying the fact that I’m getting a sibling without thinking of _how_ one has been procured.’

Plagg crept up to Adrien’s ear. His whiskers tickled Adrien’s ear as he whispered, ‘Gabooty.’

 

 

Outside the elevator, workers looked up as Adrien’s shrieks cut through the doors of the passing elevator.

‘Should we call security?’ said a representative from Marketing.

Miriam regained her composure and shook her head. ‘I wouldn’t bother. Just family drama.’

Marketing gave her a sceptical look but continued with the previous discussion.

 

 

The elevator was quiet for several floors.

‘Hawkbaby.’

Adrien whipped around, reaching for the Kwami.

Plagg cackled and stayed just out of reach.

He finally caught the Kwami by the scruff of the neck and held it an inch from his face. ‘Diet. Now.’

The cheese-glutton tilted his head and squinted his eyes. ‘Is that slang?’

‘No, it’s calling you to account for your misdeeds.’

Tikki giggled until tears welled up in her eyes. ‘You’re going to be a wonderful dad, Adrien. Look at all the practice you’re having with Plagg!’

The elevator doors dinged.

Adrien shoved the hissing Kwami into his pocket and held it shut.

‘Adrien,’ said his father, ‘if it makes you uncomfortable...’

‘Nope, nope, nope, nope!’ Adrien walked faster towards the entrance.

‘We’ll meet you at the restaurant.’ Marinette sprinted after her long-legged husband.

Gabriel looked at Nathalie. ‘Was it something I said?’

Nathalie disappeared into an Excel spreadsheet on her tablet and remained there for the entire car ride.


	13. Teenitis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner with the Agreste family. What could go wrong?

The waitress poured wine into Marinette and Adrien’s glasses. She started to pour Gabriel a glass when he waved her away.

‘You’re not drinking?’ said Adrien.

Gabriel grunted and pulled up an email on his phone.

‘Rule 8,’ said Nathalie. ‘He can when I can.’

‘Nice,’ said Marinette. ‘How long had that rule been in place?’

‘It was implemented the week after we confirmed the pregnancy.’

‘So, what are the rules on work at family meals?’

Gabriel glowered but tucked his phone into his inner breast pocket.

Adrien traced the bones in Marinette’s hand. ‘I love when you’re assertive, my sexy Slytherin.’

She slipped her hand away. ‘I’m Gryffindor, you mangy Hufflepuff.’

Nathalie shook her head.

‘What?’ said Marinette.

‘Your behaviour is Slytherin enough to be painful.’ She took a drink of her water.  

‘Oh, yeah? What are you?’

Nathalie put her glass down. ‘Slytherin, obviously.’

Adrien winced. Two was a coincidence, right?

A waiter carried a pungent smelling delicacy past.

Marinette and Nathalie grimaced at the smell.

Gabriel huffed. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘Harry Potter.’ said Adrien. ‘What’s your house?’

‘House?’

‘You really think he’s anything other than Slytherin?’ said Marinette.

Adrien blushed and mumbled, ‘Benefit of the doubt.’ Three was a pattern. Shit.

‘What’s Harry Potter?’

‘Oh, my god! DA-AD!’

Gabriel looked startled.

‘How do you not know what Harry Potter is?’ Adrien massaged his temples. ‘I’ve let your ignorance of anime slide, but Harry Potter is from our neighbours! Across the Channel! There are THEME PARKS!’

‘Keeping in mind that your father is Gen X,’ said Nathalie. ‘As a member of Gen Z, you grew up in a post-Harry Potter world.’

Gabriel gave her a suspicious look. ‘Are you calling me old?’

‘Depends on how you feel.’

‘Mind your tongue.’

‘Or what? You’ll bend me over your knee?’

Adrien squawked. ‘Uh, hello! Yes, this is your son and daughter-in-law speaking. This is a public place. Can you please save that for somewhere else?’

Nathalie smirked as Gabriel retreated.

‘The first book came out in ’97,’ said Marinette.

Gabriel said, ‘I was twenty-nine years old and recovering from a breakup with Audrey.’

Water shot from Adrien’s nose.

Marinette’s mouth dropped open.  

Nathalie signalled for a waiter and a dry tablecloth.

‘Come again?’ squeaked Adrien.

Gabriel thought for a moment. ‘I was also trying to understand why your mother had turned her attentions to me.’

Adrien started to slide under the table. ‘I can’t believe this.’

‘Stay in your seat,’ snapped Marinette and Gabriel together.

He pouted.

Marinette rubbed her temples. ‘You dated Chloe’s mom. _You_ dated Chloe’s _mom_.’

‘We were together for six years.’

‘So that’s how she was able to claim discovering you,’ said Nathalie.

Adrien slumped in his chair. ‘I’m moving to Zimbabwe and raising goats. I can’t take any more.’

‘My parents won’t move,’ said Marinette.

He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Can we go back to talking about Harry Potter? Like why you never watched or read it, Father?’

Gabriel shrugged and looked forlornly at the glass of water. ‘I never understood the appeal of supernaturally empowered children fighting against a dark power while being manipulated by an elderly wielder who could enter the fight himself.’

Marinette propped her chin up with her face. ‘Really? You don’t understand the appeal?’

‘Whoomp, there it is,’ said Nathalie _sotto voce_.

‘A little less sarcasm would be appreciated.’

She set her menu down. ‘Tread carefully, Adrien. You almost sounded like your father.’

Adrien stumbled to his feet. ‘I think, I think, it would be wise to reschedule this meal for maybe never.’ He looked at his father and shuddered. ‘Does Chloe know about—about—?’

‘About the levels of intimacy her mother and I enjoyed?’

Nathalie side-eyed her husband.

Gabriel winced. ‘Too far?’

‘A bit.’ She stood up and pushed her chair in.

Adrien put a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. ‘We’ll see you…?’ He looked at his wife for help.

‘I think we have a Christmas dinner scheduled in from 19:45 to 20:10,’ said Marinette.

The maître d’ scurried up to the table. ‘Excuse me, Monsieur Agreste, is something the matter?’

‘Just a family dispute,’ said Nathalie, collecting her phone and opening the calendar. ‘I’ll be in contact concerning—’

‘Gabriel Agreste!’ bellowed a voice outside.

Nathalie looked up at the ceiling and wondered if it was too late to light a candle to the patron saint of patience.

Marinette pulled at the bun in her hair. ‘Who did you upset this time?’

The entire restaurant looked up and out through the picture window. A few people stood up and pressed their faces outside the window.

‘Pick five from the entirety of Paris,’ said Nathalie.

People sprinted from the window, screaming.

The glass shattered. A figure dressed in armour resembling a sci-fi videogame stepped through the glass and onto the forest green fabric.

‘Gabriel Agreste, I am Teenitis. You’ve forgotten what it’s like to be young and idealistic.’ The Akuma brandished a glowing sword which hummed with energy. ‘Time for you to remember.’

Marinette kicked Gabriel’s chair out from under him and tumbled out of her chair.

The sword caught in the chair. Immediately, the chair turned to a pile of green wood.

Teenitis threw the sword at Gabriel.

Light flashed.

The Akuma picked up their sword and turned to Nathalie. ‘You! You’re just as bad as him!’ They threw the weapon at her.

Marinette yelped as Adrien caught her by the arm. ‘Transform, then fight,’ he said.

‘Got it.’

They snuck to the giant potted plants and transformed.

Chat Noir stared at the teenager next to the table. ‘Père?’

The teenager wore a grey waistcoat and dark trousers. His pale hair brushed the collar of his grey button-up. He climbed through the rubble. ‘Nathalie?’ he squeaked.

‘Wow, you really looked like your dad,’ said Ladybug.

‘I don’t think now is the time for that conversation,’ said Chat Noir, spinning his baton.

The Akuma marched over to the newest teenager.

A girl with long black hair in a high ponytail and a plaid skirt rolled indecently high stood up from behind the table. She looked Gabriel up and down before crossing her arms. ‘So not surprised,’ she said in harshly accented French.

‘Rise, my teenage army!’ said Teenitis as dozens of other dining patrons regressed to their teen selves. ‘Let your teen hormones rush through you and remind you of what it’s like to be young and independent!’

‘Why couldn’t we have gotten one of these from Hawkmoth?’ said Chat Noir.

‘Why do you think?’ said Ladybug. ‘Hey, Teenitis!’

The Akuma looked over at her. ‘Ah, Ladybug, Chat Noir. Your Miraculouses will look great in my collection at home. Right next to your heads.’

A shriek sounded.

Everyone looked and saw teenaged Gabriel Agreste running pell-mell for the street.

The girl with the ponytail wasn’t far behind. She looked more than capable of murdering the smaller boy.

Ladybug’s yoyo went limp. ‘Is that Nathalie?’

‘I’m going to need footage of that fight.’ Chat Noir grabbed Ladybug and rolled out of the way of the Akuma’s energy sword. He threw up his baton and knocked the Akuma back.

Teenitis deflected Ladybug’s yoyo.

New teenagers rushed at Ladybug and Chat Noir, screaming with the excitement that only die-hard fans can managed.

Chat Noir’s ears went back. ‘Quiet!’

‘Shut up, old man!’ said a teenaged boy.

‘Hey!’

Chat Noir climbed over the heads of the raving teenagers.

The sword caught him square in the back.

‘Chat!’

Chat Noir shook his head. ‘It’s all… taller.’ He felt his hair. The familiar shaggy style was heavier than he remembered. ‘Oh, come on!’ His hands clasped over his mouth. ‘No! I can’t go through puberty twice!’

Ladybug, still in adult form, duelled with the Akuma. She caught sight of her husband and burst out laughing. ‘ _Bonjour,_ Kitten Noir!’

‘This isn’t funny, My Lady!’

‘You look just like when we met!’ She jumped and caught the Akuma’s arms. ‘Try and keep this one from anywhere high.’

Kitten Noir took a step forward and fell on his face. ‘Right. Shorter now, shorter steps.’ He picked up his staff and joined Ladybug in the fight.

Ladybug jumped on Teenitis’ back. ‘Is it the helmet?’

Teenitis threw her off and charged into the street. They dragged their sword along the street as they ran.

Ladybug and Kitten Noir ran out of the restaurant.

‘I just want to say, I think it’s adorable that we’re the same height,’ she said.

He gave her an unimpressed look. ‘Everyone’s a comedian today.’

She wrapped her arm around his waist and yoyoed after the Akuma.

 

 

Gabriel ducked down a side street. His legs felt rubbery and his face was slick with sweat.

Fingers tangled in his hair and yanked.

He twisted around and pulled away, trying to free his hair.

Teen Nathalie kept a firm grip. ‘Seriously, can’t you fight any better?’

‘Let go!’

She spun, throwing him against the wall.

He scrambled to his feet. Scrapes on his hands and knees smarted. ‘Pick on someone your own size!’

‘Feeling threatened, half-pint?’

‘I’ll have you know I grew two inches when I was thirteen.’

She snorted. ‘And how exactly did anyone see you?’

‘Hey!’ He blocked a blow and started feeling better about himself. ‘I got my growth spurt when I was sixteen!’

Her fist connected with his nose.

He landed on his backside and looked up at her. Blood streamed down his chin and onto his shirt. ‘What was that—?’ He gulped and stared. Damned teenage hormones. ‘Wh-why do you wear your skirt so short?’

‘It makes the nuns angry.’

He wrinkled his nose before remembering that it was probably broken. ‘It’s v-very distracting.’

She grinned. ‘I know.’

She took a threatening step forward.

Gabriel scrambled to his feet and sprinted for home.

The muscle memory of his thirteen-year-old self guided him not to the mansion but to the older, established neighbourhood of Haut Marais.

Behind him, Nathalie ran, more interested in the fear of her prey than the capture.

On the rooftops overhead, Ladybug and Kitten Noir battled Teenitis.

Gabriel pulled up short when Kitten Noir landed heavily on the street in front of him. ‘Are you okay?’

Kitten Noir sprang to his feet. ‘I’m fine. Where are you going?’

‘Home.’ Gabriel looked around. ‘Uh, guess I’m trying to go to my old home.’

‘We lived here?’

‘I grew up here. Your grandparents—yikes!’ Gabriel dodged Nathalie’s long fingers reaching for his hair again. He ducked behind Kitten Noir.

‘Scared, Agreste?’ said Nathalie with a sneer.

‘Just aware of when to pick my battles. Care to lend a paw, Chat Noir?’

Kitten Noir smacked himself and dragged his hand down his face. ‘I am too old for this.’ He turned his father in the right direction before clambering up the walls to assist Ladybug.

Teenitis looked down and saw Gabriel Agreste pumping his skinny arms and legs. They vaulted over Ladybug and swept Kitten Noir to the side.

A block from the Agreste Mansion, Teenitis jumped into the street.

Everything shook from the landing.

‘Y’know,’ said Teenitis, walking towards their victim, ‘I was planning on destroying you myself.’ They turned the energy sword off and tucked it away. ‘But this is so much more satisfying.’

Ladybug and Kitten Noir landed on the street behind them.

Gabriel crawled about on the street, feeling for his glasses.

Teen Nathalie leaned against the gate, spinning them on one finger. ‘A little to your left.’

‘Shut up!’ he squeaked.

‘I almost feel badly for him,’ said Kitten Noir. ‘I never thought of him being bullied as a kid.’

‘Not our job,’ said Ladybug. ‘Lucky Charm!’

An ATV landed next to them.

‘Hell yes!’ Kitten Noir jumped on the ATV and beeped the horn multiple times.

Teenitis turned around and drew the energy sword. ‘Get off.’

‘You’ll have to catch me!’ Kitten Noir stepped on the gas and drove off.

Ladybug face-palmed.

The ATV sped along at two kilometres an hour.

Teenitis walked alongside the vehicle. ‘Put your hands there, press there, and make sure to not press—DON’T PRESS THAT BUTTON!’

‘Whee!’ Kitten Noir cackled as he crashed through the gates of the mansion.

Ladybug’s yoyo caught the Akuma around the ankles.

Teenitis landed on their back. The energy sword fell out of their hand.

Kitten Noir reappeared. To Nathalie, he said, ‘So maybe don’t give his glasses back until after the Miraculous Ladybug charm.’

‘What did you break?’

‘Nothing!’ His voice broke. He scuttled off with drooping ears.

‘Chat! Go for the left glove!’ Ladybug yanked on the yoyo around Teenitis’ ankles.

‘Cataclysm!’ He jumped and touched the glove.

A butterfly crawled from the ash and flew into the sky.

Black bubbles faded to reveal a teenaged girl with pink hair.

Kitten Noir helped her stand up. ‘Are you okay?’

Ladybug released the white butterfly from her yoyo. ‘Bye-bye, little butterfly.’

 

 

Gabriel sat on the street corner, a bloody handkerchief pressed to his nose.

Nathalie sat next to him, her long legs splayed out. ‘Where’d you learn to fight like that?’

‘Six months of karate when I was eight.’ He checked his tender nose. ‘Where’d you learn to fight?’

‘Back alley behind my _lycée_ and the neighbour’s barn every weekend.’

He looked at her. ‘You were in a fight club?’

‘I _ran_ the fight club.’

‘I would been terrified of you at this age.’ Gabriel looked at his wife, still trying to come to terms with her being taller than him. ‘And obsessed with you.’

Nathalie laughed shyly and rubbed her sore knuckles. ‘You wouldn’t have known I existed.’

Gabriel took her hand and kissed the bruised knuckles.

The red ladybugs washed over Paris, restoring everyone to their adult form.

‘Pound it!’ chorused the heroes as their Miraculouses beeped.

The heroes returned to the restaurant but found their table empty.

‘Maybe they decided to stay at home?’ said Adrien, thankful to have his post-puberty voice again. And his height. Being able to see over people was a gift he would stop taking for granted.

Marinette tucked her phone in her purse. ‘They’re not answering their phones. Should we check on them?’

‘Given how Nathalie was picking on Father? Might be a good idea.’

They hailed a taxi and went straight to the mansion.

Marinette pushed the front door open and promptly fell over the giant box. ‘Ow.’ She squinted at the label and chuckled.

‘Are you okay?’ Adrien pulled her to her feet.

‘I’m okay. I think we know how badly your dad screwed up at the gala, though.’ She spun the box around to display the label and customs sticker.

Adrien laughed before realising how large the box was. He could easily have fit in it with room for a spare Ladybug. He could feel Plagg vibrating inside his coat, drawn to the essence of the box. ‘That’s a lot of fabric.’ He stared at the box.

‘I wonder what he’ll make this time.’

Laughter echoed from upstairs, followed by moaning.

Marinette placed a hand on Adrien’s arm. ‘We should come back later.’

‘What?’ His gaze broke from the box. ‘Why?’

Nathalie shrieked from upstairs. ‘Warm them up!’

‘Adrien Agreste,’ hissed Marinette. ‘We are leaving now.’

Adrien’s attention returned to the box. ‘I want it.’  

Marinette clapped Adrien’s face between her hands. ‘Adrien Agreste, my sweet, my love, light of my life, the greatest partner in all of Pairs, father of my future children, and sixteen hamsters, believe me when I say that I mean this in the kindest way: It’s a good thing you’re pretty.’

‘Aw, you’re beautiful, too.’

‘Because even though you inherited your father’s love of puns, you did not inherit his attention to detail. Or anything else for that matter.’

‘Ouch.’

‘Here’s hoping your new sibling stands better luck.’

A crash sounded from upstairs.

Adrien looked up the stairs in horror.

‘And the penny drops.’ Marinette grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out of the house.

‘I can never go back there,’ said Adrien, pulling the gate shut.

Marinette hailed a passing taxi and climbed in. ‘We are going to Alya and Nino’s.’

‘Good call.’ Adrien slammed the taxi door shut as Marinette gave the address. ‘Um, should we warn them? I’d hate to walk in on two of them in the same scenario.’

‘There’s that brain I love working.’ Marinette pulled out her phone and sent off the message.

He pouted, sticking his lower lip out as far as possible. ‘I thought you loved me for my face.’

She kissed him. ‘I’ll never say no to pretty packaging.’

 


	14. Perfectly Not Confusing

Adrien and Marinette climbed the four flights of stairs to Alya and Nino’s apartment. A familiar turtle statue sat by the welcome mat.

‘I’m glad they saved that,’ said Marinette.

Adrien knocked on the door. ‘Me, too.’

Nino opened the door and grinned. ‘Hey, just the people I was wanting to talk to!’ He pulled Adrien into an embrace before hugging Marinette. ‘What was with the text? You know you’re always welcome over here.’

As they stepped inside, Marinette’s eyes sparkled. She grinned at Adrien. ‘Care to share, m’dear?’

Adrien flushed to the tips of his ears and rubbed the back of his neck. ‘We heard Father and Nathalie having really noisy sex.’

Nino’s face contorted and turned green. ‘That’s so wrong.’

‘They were laughing.’

‘Are you sure it wasn’t burglars? Aliens? An Akuma switching bodies around?’

Alya looked up from her computer. ‘It had to happen sooner or later, Sunshine Boy. Did you walk in on them?’

Adrien looked ill.

Marinette said, ‘Close enough. They were surprisingly noisy. Well, for the two quietest adults I’ve ever met.’ She grimaced. ‘Gabriel and handcuffs—’

‘Lalalalalala!’ Nino covered his ears and disappeared into the kitchen.  

Alya smacked her boyfriend on the butt. ‘I heard about the Akuma. You handled that one really quickly.’ The external hard drive was plugged into her computer. ‘Was it at all related to the sudden marital happiness of Monsieur and Madame Agreste Sr?’

‘Maybe. There was a freshly ordered box of fabric sitting in the foyer,’ said Adrien.

‘Your dad has the weirdest turn ons.’ Nino shook his head.

‘Oh, it’s so much worse,’ said Marinette. ‘The fabric is because he got drunk at the gala. He also knocked Nathalie up, so he’s grovelling extra har—ugh, hard.’

Adrien gave Marinette a look of pure disappointment. ‘You had to finish that?’

Marinette returned the look of disappointment.

‘New Subject!’ shouted Nino.  

‘How is Nathalie’s pregnancy?’

‘Horrible.’ Marinette threw her coat over a chair. ‘It’s like now that she’s aware of it, she’s sick as can be.’

‘She banned cheese from the house,’ wailed Plagg.

Adrien said, ‘She was pretty ill before learning about it. We thought it was just a really bad ongoing case of the flu.’

Alya’s face lit up with glee. She waved a spoonful of ice cream at Adrien. ‘Any chance of knocking up Mar? Your child could be a twin to their aunt or uncle.’

‘Please, stop. Today may have been the most traumatic of my life yet.’

‘You’d think that he’d have a higher threshold as a superhero,’ Alya stage whispered to Marinette.

Tikki giggled.  

Nino shook his head. ‘You are a drama queen like your father before you.’

‘Now is not the time for _Star Wars_ ,’ said Adrien, falling back on the couch, his arm draped over his eyes.

‘Pretty sure it is.’ Nino pushed Adrien’s legs off the couch and sat down before pulling the legs back up and over his lap.

‘I’m glad you’re both here,’ said Alya. ‘Seems like Nathalie was saving every piece of information she could get her hands concerning your family and associates.’

‘That’s kind of creepy.’

‘Mm.’ Alya shrugged. ‘“Rule 43: Keep records of Everything”.’

‘What?’

‘I found a file titled “What to Do When You Learn Your Employer is a Supervillain”. It was created two days before the Bubbler incident and last opened a week after Nathalie was promoted to…to…’ She looked through her notes.

‘Chief Administration Officer,’ said Adrien.

‘Yeah, that.’  

‘You remember the exact date of Bubbler?’ said Marinette, flipping through a notebook.

‘Naw, there was a file full of cross-referenced dates. I did a couple of checks myself before realising Nathalie’s was reliable enough to save myself the hassle.’

‘That sounds helpful.’

‘It really is.’ Alya swallowed a spoonful of ice cream. ‘There is so much information here. We could spend months doing nothing else and still only make it through a fraction of it all.’

Trixx hovered by her Chosen.

Alya gave her a bite of ice cream.

Wayzz dozed on the laptop’s charging cord.

Plagg flew through the air and pounced on the Turtle Kwami.

‘Dude!’ said Wayzz. He chased Plagg through the living space.

‘Enough!’ Nino stood up and stalked after the two. He caught them, one in each hand.

‘Nice, Mr Miyagi,’ said Alya.

Nino bowed with a flourish.

‘Whoa, careful there,’ said Plagg. ‘You don’t want me puking up cheese all over the floor.’ He squinted at Wayzz. ‘And since when do you say “dude”?’

‘Since our new Guardian has taken me into his home and updated my lexicon. I have been learning about The Tea and how to conduct a Yeet.’

Nino cringed. ‘We’re working on it.’ He scratched Plagg’s head.

Plagg’s ears lay flat but a deep purr came from his chest.

Tikki flew over to Nino. ‘You’ll be a wonderful Guardian.’

‘Thanks. I hope so.’ He stopped torturing Plagg.

The Kwami flopped onto his bag and stared at the ceiling, too dazed for words.

Nino’s phone buzzed. He picked it up and went outside.

Everyone listened carefully to the muffled conversation outside the window.

Five minutes later, Nino returned with a raw-looking Nathaniel.

The red-head plopped onto a vacant chair and stared at the floor, hands clasped in his lap.

Nino fetched a glass of water from the kitchen and set it on the table by the artist. ‘Have you been drinking?’

Nathaniel shook his head.

‘Have you eaten?’

He nodded, hair flopping around his face.

‘When?’

‘Breakfast,’ mumbled Nathaniel. ‘Boiled egg.’

‘We’ll make him something,’ said Marinette. ‘C’mon, _chaton_.’

‘We did the shopping yesterday,’ said Alya. ‘Should be plenty.’

Marinette waved her thanks and looked through the cupboards.

Nino sat down on the recently vacated couch. ‘Did she dump you?’

Nathaniel hesitated and shook his head.

‘Did she tell you to leave?’

He nodded before shaking his head. Then he shrugged.

Alya saved her work and closed the laptop. ‘What happened?’

In a rough voice, Nathaniel said, ‘Sabrina’s back.’ He wiped his nose with the sleeve of his jacket.

‘What’s bad about that?’ said Alya, setting a box of tissues in front of their friend.

He took a tissue and crumpled it before shredding it. He seemed to grow smaller as he said, ‘She turns Chloe back into her old self.’

‘Like before you two started dating?’

Nathaniel shook his head. ‘Like when we were in _collège_. Sabrina demands everything remain exactly the same as it was. And Chloe...I don’t know. She goes with it all.’

Nino rubbed Nathaniel’s shoulder. ‘That sucks, man.’ 

Alya shoved a tissue into his hand.

Marinette appeared five minutes later with a sandwich. ‘It’s not much.’

Nathaniel gave her a shy smile.

Adrien bristled.

Marinette slid her arm around her husband’s waist and lay her head on his shoulder.

Adrien calmed down.

Nathaniel picked at his food.

‘Why would Chloe turn back to her _collège_ self? She always says that she hates remembering how awful she was,’ said Alya.

‘I don’t know.’ Nathaniel stared at a piece of lettuce. ‘It’s almost like their positions are reversed. When they’re together, Chloe still has all the power but Sabrina has all the confidence.’

Adrien and Marinette exchanged a glance.

‘Was Sabrina ever very close with Lila Rossi?’ said Marinette.

Alya gave her a sceptical look.

Nathaniel swallowed. ‘Uh, sort of. Not super well, but kind of—yeah, I guess so.’

‘Are you still carrying that grudge against Lila?’ said Alya.

Marinette schooled her face into a neutral expression. ‘It’s an idea I’ve been chasing. I got really angry the other day.’ She quickly considered how much of the story to tell. ‘I should have been Akumatized but wasn’t.’

‘And Lila was there?’ said Nino, stroking his hairless chin. Wayzz seemed to be rubbing off on him already.

Marinette nodded.

‘It’s a coincidence,’ said Alya. ‘Look, Lila’s been in Italy since we started _lycée._ I don’t think she’d have time to do anything with the Miraculouses. And Sabrina’s in the States! It makes even less sense for her to have anything to do with them.’

Adrien discreetly squeezed Marinette’s wrist. _Not now._

‘It’s just an idea.’ Marinette shoved her hands in her sweater pockets. ‘Why do you have to be so defensive of her?’

‘Maybe because you’ve always assumed the worst without any proof.’

‘Have you considered—?’

Nino stood up. ‘Can we not go through these arguments again? One, we’re taking care of Nathaniel. Two, I can’t handle the two of you having a big fight right now. Can you fight it out after Christmas?’

Nathaniel started to stand up. ‘Sorry I’m such a burden.’

‘She really did a number on you.’ Adrien ran a hand through his hair. ‘We’re your friends. You’re not a burden.’

Nathaniel nodded.  

‘How long will Sabrina be back for?’ said Marinette.

‘I think she flies back on Three Kings Day. Something about finishing exams.’

Alya grimaced. ‘That’s almost three weeks.’

‘Yeah.’ Nathaniel sniffed and used a tissue. ‘I mean, the good news is that I still have my apartment, but that’s three weeks without her.’ He looked up at everyone. His hair flopped over one eye, just as it had during school. ‘It’s Christmas.’

‘Want us to go over and talk with her?’ said Marinette.

‘Could you?’ His lower lip trembled. ‘I mean…’

‘Hey,’ Adrien put a hand on Nathaniel’s shoulder. ‘Friends help each other, okay? You’ll get a happy Christmas with Chloe.’

 

 

 

It was early evening when Marinette’s taxi arrived in front of Le Grand Paris. Five minutes later, Jean the Butler showed her into Chloe’s suite.

Chloe lay sprawled on the sofa, frowning at an open magazine. She looked up. ‘Dupain-Cheng? What are you doing here?’

‘Just came to visit.’ Marinette picked a chair and quickly sat down. ‘Hey, Sabrina.’

The red-head smiled and waved. She wore her hair in a long braid now. ‘Chloe told me about what’s been happening with the new Akumas. It’s so awful! Makes me glad I’m studying in the States.’

‘It’s been crazy.’

‘My dad says the police are completely overwhelmed.’

Chloe turned a page in her magazine.  

‘Do you want anything?’ said Sabrina. ‘Tea? Coffee? A cocktail?’

‘A cocktail?’ Marinette looked at the clock. ‘I guess it’s later than I thought. Just tea, thanks.’

Sabrina took Chloe’s mug and went off to make tea.

Marinette leaned close to Chloe. ‘Do you think you could make it to a meeting tonight?’

‘Not with her here.’

‘Are you sure?’

Chloe threw her magazine down. ‘Look, Dupain-Cheng, if I wanted to hang out with a bunch of stupid losers, I’d go. But I can’t miss tonight’s show.’

‘Wow, Nathaniel was right. You really do regress back to your old self around Sabrina.’ 

The edges of the magazine crumpled under Chloe’s fingers. ‘Nathaniel’s being sensitive.’

‘He’s really upset. Why are you doing this?’

‘Gosh, Dupain-Cheng! Do you have to get all Nancy Drew over this?’ She disappeared behind her magazine.

‘Chloe!’ called Sabrina cheerfully. ‘You’re out of honey!’

‘Ugh. Just call for Jean-Paul. I’m sure he can find some honey even if you can’t.’

Sabrina balanced three cups of tea and set them on the low table in the middle. ‘Here’s yours, Marinette. Might want to let it sit a little while.’

‘Thanks, Sabrina.’ Marinette blew on the tea.

Chloe held out an expectant hand.

Sabrina placed the tea in her friend’s hand. ‘Can I see your wedding ring, Marinette? I haven’t had a chance to see it yet.’

Marinette held her hand out.

The diamonds and rubies danced in their band of white gold.

‘It’s so pretty,’ said Sabrina. ‘Was that a promise ring originally? I heard Mr Agreste demanded that you not get married until you were both twenty-one.’

‘That would be correct.’ Marinette smiled at the memory. ‘I think Adrien would have proposed on our first date if allowed. But no promise rings. He got me a set of really nice earrings instead.’

‘That’s so sweet! You deserve someone that romantic.’ Sabrina stirred her tea. ‘Are those the earrings you’re wearing right now?’

Marinette reached up, as if trying to remember which ones she wore. ‘Oh, these? No, I’ve have these forever.’

The light reflected of off Sabrina’s glasses. ‘They look like the ones you wore in _collège._ ’

Chloe set her magazine down. ‘Isn’t it time that we got ready to go, Sabrina? We don’t want to be late.’

Sabrina looked at the clock and squeaked. ‘Oh, no! Sorry, Marinette. It was wonderful to see you.’

‘Where are you going?’ said Marinette.

‘We’re going to see the new opera tonight.’ Sabrina clapped her hands twice. ‘I’m so excited!’  

Marinette set her barely touched tea down and stood up. ‘I’ll catch up with you later, then. I’ll see you later, Chloe?’

‘Yeah, sure.’ Chloe kept her eyes fixed on the magazine.

Marinette frowned, trying to read Chloe’s expression.

Sabrina walked Marinette to the door of the suite.

Marinette fixed the woollen scarf around her neck. ‘Is she okay? She seems really heavy spirited.’

‘She’s been like that for months.’ Sabrina looked at Chloe and leaned in close to Marinette. ‘She’s thinking of breaking up with Nathaniel. There’s a chance of a big scandal brewing about her dad, and she doesn’t want to drag Nathaniel down with her.’

‘That doesn’t seem like Chloe.’

Sabrina blinked, looking sad. ‘You care a lot about her.’

‘Surprisingly, I do. I never thought it possible.’

‘I’m glad.’ Sabrina looked over her shoulder and sighed. ‘She hasn’t been the same since breaking up with Kagami.’

Marinette flinched when Sabrina suddenly hugged her.

‘It’s so good to see you again.’ Sabrina stepped back. ‘Sorry about that, but it’s good to be home.’

‘I understand. Have a good night!’

The doorman hailed a taxi for Marinette. As she climbed into it, another taxi stopped behind her.

Lila stepped out, a black coat hugging her features.

As Marinette’s taxi pulled away, the hotel doorman opened the door for Lila, a greeting on his lips.


	15. Catching the Golden-Brown Snitch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter literally owes its existence to John Mulaney memes. I apologise in advance.

Nino nudged Alya and pointed.

She followed his direction. Both eyebrows rose.

She pushed through the crowd, Nino following in her wake.

Marinette and Adrien waved and met them in a corner of the ballroom. Both wore two- and three-piece suits made of black velvet. Delicate embroidery curled at the cuffs and collars. Marinette was very obviously not wearing a shirt beneath her jacket. 

Alya held up her phone and pressed the record button. ‘Good evening. Would you two care to tell us what exactly is up with your outfits?’

Adrien gave a cheesy smile. ‘It was what was left out for me.’

Marinette smoothed the pink embroidered flowers on her jacket. ‘Someone ordered four hundred yards of black velvet for Agreste Fashions. As the head designer and owner of the company detests black velvet and the suppliers refuse to take it back, I’ve decided to design my debut line and final project entirely around black velvet.’

Adrien nodded solemnly, a fair imitation of his father. ‘Black velvet for spring is a bold and unique statement. We look forward to seeing the results of her efforts as it graces the school catwalk.’

Alya turned the screen to her face. ‘You heard it here first, people. Marinette Dupain-Cheng is taking a disaster and making it work for her.’

‘Just like I did with this purrito,’ said Marinette off-camera.

‘Mm, burritos.’ Adrien stood up straight and sniffed. ‘Is that food?’

Alya turned her camera off.

‘We literally ate an hour ago,’ said Marinette. ‘How are you hungry already?’

He whimpered and stuck out his lower lip. ‘I’m _starving_ , Mar!’ He patted his belly. ‘Look at me, practically wasting away.’

Alya grinned. ‘This just in, folks: Local cat claims it has never been fed in its entire life.’

Nino coughed and dropped into his best radio announcer voice. ‘We have exclusive footage shot by neighbours confirming that the cat probably had McDonalds on its way here.’

Marinette said to Adrien, ‘McDonalds? Really?’

‘I was hungry after the Akuma battle.’

She looked around before hissing, ‘You went to _McDonalds_ as _Chat Noir_?’

He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Nino got a black coffee.’

‘Really, Nino?’ said Alya.

‘I was dying. Didn’t want to fall asleep here.’

Alya tapped her phone against her forehead. ‘Did you pay for it?’

Nino looked guilty. ‘Yes.’

‘You know most of the local cafes give us free coffee!’

His mouth dropped open. ‘They do? Since when?’

‘To be fair,’ said Marinette, ‘it was Theo who gave us the coffee that time.’

‘Pfft.’ Alya waved her hand in the air. ‘Details.’

Marinette frowned. ‘You got a Happy Meal, didn’t you?’

Adrien blushed. ‘The Ladybug toy says “Lucky Charm”.’

Marinette smacked her face twice before grabbing Alya by the arm. ‘Let’s go find some actual conversation.’

Adrien bowed to Nino in the best of 19th century fashion and offered his arm.

Nino pretended to fan himself and took it, prancing along beside his friend.

They found Kagami by the chocolate fountain. ‘You look ridiculous,’ she said, popping a strawberry into her mouth.

Nino wagged his fingers delicately. In a high-pitched, Fair Maiden™ voice, he said, ‘Good evening, Lady Kagami. What brings you to our lovely Three Kings soiree?’

She rolled her eyes. ‘My mother.’

Nino dropped the joke. ‘Ouch. How long are you here for?’

‘Until I get an Epiphany.’

‘Nice.’ Adrien high-fived her.

Nino shook his head. ‘You’re only going to get worse when you have kids.’

Adrien made finger guns at him and winked. ‘That’s the five year plan.’

‘I wish you luck with that,’ said Kagami.

‘Thanks for the invite, by the way,’ said Nino. ‘Alya’s been panicking about having enough articles before starting the new semester. This should fill up a decent amount of space.’

Kagami inclined her head. ‘You’re welcome. I was happy to extend the invitation. There comes a point when fundraisers are simply too…’

‘Repetitive?’ said Adrien.

‘Exactly. I appreciate the money we raise, but dealing with people is just the worst.’

Adrien looked around, studying the elements. Considering it was a fundraiser for local fencing academies, it was uncharacteristically subdued. ‘This is the first one that you’ve organised fully on your own?’

‘That obvious?’

‘It’s a good first try.’

Kagami gave Adrien a Look. ‘Don’t waste my time, Agreste.’

‘Next time, try for a theme or even make it a costume party. This is for kids, and most people donate more when they’re having fun.’

Nino scratched his hatless head. ‘Given that most of the people here are under fifty, I’d also get music that carries a nostalgic feel.’

‘Like what?’ said Kagami.

‘Well, early 2000s nostalgia is really big right now. You would not believe how many times I’ve had to play “Sexy Back” and “Crazy in Love” in the last six months.’

Alya and Marinette returned.

Alya carried a glass of champagne in each hand. ‘I had to wake him up the other night because he was singing “Bop to the Top” in his sleep.’

‘Was he doing the choreography?’ said Adrien.

‘Not this time.’

‘Does this happen often?’ said Kagami.

‘Often enough.’ Alya handed a champagne flute to Nino and sipped her own. ‘Nice stuff, by the way.’

‘I’m glad something turned out right.’

The string quintet carried on in the corner.

Nino shoved his hands into his sports jacket. ‘Do you know if there are any speakers? With an aux cord, we could liven things up a bit.’

Kagami gave a curt nod. ‘There is an equipment closet behind the ice sculpture.’

‘Lead the way.’

Alya tapped Marinette’s water glass with her champagne flute. ‘Not drinking tonight?’

She shook her head. ‘I took some strong painkillers just before coming and don’t want to risk anything.’

‘Are you back and head still killing you?’

‘Very much so.’ She nodded in Adrien’s direction. ‘He’s been doing a great job with rubbing my back and shoulders.’

‘And providing purrs when needed.’ Adrien played with the loose ends of Marinette’s hair.

‘Leave the curls alone.’

His hand stilled.

‘Thanks.’ Marinette shrugged her shoulders. A soft popping noise sounded from the base of her neck.

Ten minutes later, the speakers crackled to life.

A group entered the ballroom, all speaking and laughing loudly.

Upbeat music pulsed through the speakers. ‘ _He was a boy, she was a girl; Can I make it any more obvious? He was a punk, she did ballet..._ ’

The current attendees stared at the newcomers.

‘Oh, shit,’ said Adrien. ‘It’s Jeff Brown.’

Alya’s eyes narrowed. ‘Him again.’

‘What’s the story there?’ said Marinette.

‘He’s annoying and invasive,’ said Adrien.

‘I think he’s fighting five cases of libel,’ said Alya.

‘He’s been trespassed from most of our company’s sites.’

‘Rumour has it that he’s building evidence for a proper exposé of the political scene.’

‘So he meddles with the rich and the powerful. Bold and stupid choice,’ said Marinette.

‘If anything he ever printed was actually true or believable, he’d be half decent,’ said Alya. ‘Right now, he’s just an embarrassment to the Fourth Estate.’

‘Twenty Euros says he makes a pest of himself in twenty minutes,’ said Adrien.

Alya snorted. ‘You think he’s that patient?’

It took less than ten minutes for the nuisance of a human being to approach Kagami for a statement.

Adrien quickly joined his friend’s side, pasting on his brightest PR smile and interrupting the reporter’s questions. ‘Mr Brown, how are you this evening?’

The reporter took one look at the model and turned back to Kagami. ‘Is it true that your management of this event is due to your mother’s deteriorating health?’

‘Take your questions elsewhere,’ she said. ‘I have guests to attend to.’

She turned to leave.

Jeff Brown caught her by the wrist. ‘I’d really like some answers, Mademoiselle Tsurugi. It—’

Adrien placed a firm hand on Brown’s shoulder. ‘Let the lady be.’

Brown released Kagami and turned to Adrien. ‘You Agrestes. So rich, so powerful, so busy looking down on those of us who actually have to work.’

A look of absolute incredulity crossed Adrien’s face. He pretended to clean his ear out and leaned closer. ‘I’m sorry, did you say that my family doesn’t work?’ He burst into laughter.

People started to stare.

All mirth disappeared from Adrien's face. He leaned in closely. ‘I don’t know what planet you’re living on, Brown, but no one works harder than my father. He’s consistently put in over eighty hours a week to build up his fashion empire over the last thirty years. You don’t do that sitting around watching Netflix and looking to screw a politician’s leftovers.’

Brown’s cheeks turned red. ‘Says the playboy.’

Adrien looked at his wife. ‘Hey, Mar? How long have we been together?’

She gave Brown the patented Dupain-Cheng Look of Death. ‘Going on six years. I really hope you weren’t tom-catting around while in _collège._ ’

‘If so, it’s grounds for calling child protective services.’ Alya’s smile exposed the fine points of her teeth.

A fencing instructor walked up. ‘Excuse me; sorry to interrupt. Adrien, do you mind taking a picture with some of our top fencers?’

‘Of course.’

They walked away to where a group of teens mingled.

Brown turned his attention to Alya. ‘Nice of you to show your face, Césaire. How’d you worm your way in here?’

‘I was invited by our charming hostess herself. How about you?’

‘I received an invitation from a friend.’

‘Of a friend of a friend?’ Alya swallowed the last of her champagne. ‘People like you don’t have friends.’

The reporter’s face turned purple. ‘Because people like me are trying to make a living!’

‘Off of lies?’ Alya put her hands on her hips. ‘If journalism had any sort of guild, you’d be thrown out and blacklisted for lies of that nature.’

‘I just write what I see. What people infer—’

‘You write about people’s highly confidential information, Mr Brown. You’re lucky you haven’t been sued yet.’ She pulled out her phone and skimmed through one of his recent articles. ‘Actually, it’s more than luck. You always include a little clause somewhere that mentions that if they deny the allegations or pursue legal action, then the only consensus is that they’re hiding something.’

He clenched the notebook in hand more tightly. ‘I’ll get you for this. And your precious Ladyblog, too!’

‘If I had a euro for every time someone made that threat…’ Alya rolled her eyes.

‘Akuma!’ yelled someone.

The butterfly flew straight to Brown’s notebook. The purple outline appeared for less than a minute before disappearing.

Alya backed away, thankful for her trouser suit.

She found Adrien and Nino discussing a bottle of wine. ‘Brown’s an Akuma.’

‘ _La Haute Bourgeoisie de Paris_ , I am the Golden-Brown Snitch,’ said the Akuma. ‘I’m about to learn all of your dirty secrets and post them where everyone can see them. After tonight, the world will know better than to place you on pedestals.’

He looked directly at Alya. ‘I’ll start with you, you little upstart.’ He shrank to the size of a golf ball and shot towards her.

Nino dragged Alya away.

The Akuma returned to his human form.

Adrien kissed the wine bottle. ‘I’m sorry, sweetie.’

He swung the bottle and caught the Akuma square in the face.

Golden-Brown Snitch stumbled and slipped in the puddle of alcohol.

Marinette stopped and stared. ‘Damn, son!’

Adrien took her hand and ran for the fire stairs. ‘You can appreciate my skills later.’

‘I intend to.’

They transformed in the stairwell.

When they reached the roof, Carapace pulled at his cowl. ‘Where is he?’

Alya felt all over her clothes. ‘He was in my pocket earlier!’

‘What’s wrong?’ said Chat Noir.

‘I can’t find Trixx!’

‘Shit.’

A golden blur shot out of the stairwell and into the air.

‘Is it still worth 150 points if catch it?’ said Chat Noir, ears pointed forward. His tail twitched as he prepared to pounce.

‘All for Hufflepuff!’ Carapace hefted the shield on his arm and kept Alya behind him.

‘I’m Gryffindor!’ Chat Noir pounced on the little golden ball.

It slipped from his claws and crashed into Ladybug’s chest.

She sprawled on her back, hitting her head against a guardrail.

‘Ladybug!’ yelped Chat Noir. He sprinted to her side.

Carapace trapped the Golden-Brown Snitch beneath his shield.

The Akuma returned to its full size and head-butted the hero away.

Carapace stumbled aside, just enough for Golden-Brown Snitch to grab Alya. He caught her ankles and spun about. He threw her into the air.

Carapace ran, jumping off of the building. He caught Alya in his arms.

They landed on the opposite roof.

‘Are you okay?’ said Alya. Her glasses were cracked.

‘I will be.’ Carapace pulled himself to his feet.

They jumped back to the roof, rolling to a stop.

Carapace marched over to the Akuma. ‘I have one thing to say to you, sir; one thing.’

‘What’s that?’

‘That’s my wife!’ Carapace pulled back his fist and punched the Akuma.

The notebook flew from his hands.

Chat Noir scooped it up.

‘Give that back!’ shouted Golden-Brown Snitch.

‘You want it? Go get it!’ Chat Noir chucked the notebook to Ladybug. ‘Street smarts!’

Ladybug ripped the Akumatized notebook and purified the butterfly.

Chat Noir held his hands around his mouth. ‘Scatter!’

As Ladybug released the butterfly, her husband grabbed her around the waist and pole vaulted to the nearest roof.

Alya wrapped her arms around Carapace’s neck and held tightly as he followed the other two.

When they landed on a sufficiently distant rooftop, Ladybug said, ‘Okay, how long have you two been planning that one?’

Chat Noir took her hand and bowed over it. ‘About two years, My Lady,’ he said, kissing her hand.

‘They stayed up all night planning it back in _lycèe_ ,’ said Alya, shaking her head.

‘Stop snitching, moth—’

Alya raised an eyebrow.

The boys suddenly became very interested in their gloved fingernails.

‘No,’ said Ladybug, shaking her head.

‘Yeah!’ said Chat Noir and Carapace in tones eerily reminiscent of Jagged Stone.

‘Not funny,’ said Ladybug in a dry tone.

‘Yeah!’

An orange blur caught up with the heroes.

Alya held her hands out. ‘Trixx! Where were you?’

The Kwami panted. ‘Someone tried to steal your necklace.’ He grinned, exposing his sharp teeth. ‘But I stopped them.’

‘Do you know who it was?’ said Carapace.

Trixx shook his head. ‘One of the humans from the Akuma’s group.’

Alya pursed her lips. ‘Do you think they know our secret?’

‘They might suspect it,’ said Ladybug. She yawned. ‘We’re going to have to be more careful.’

Chat Noir wrapped an arm around Ladybug and kissed the top of her head. ‘Tired still?’

She nodded, leaning in to him. ‘I want spicy noodles. Then we can talk about what happened. Trixx, are you sure it was someone trying to steal the Miraculous?’

The Fox Kwami nodded, ears waving in the breeze.

‘That might be why Brown was so confrontational,’ said Chat Noir. ‘Usually he has at least a glass or two of something.’

Alya put her hands on her hips. ‘I’ll run a search on his recent contacts. The weather writer at Brown’s paper owes me a favour.’

‘Thanks,’ said Chat Noir.

Ladybug dozed against his chest.

Carapace patted Alya’s arm. ‘I should get this civilian home.’

Alya ran a finger along his jaw. ‘But not before I _properly_ thank this brave and wonderful hero.’

The hero’s face lit up like a firework. ‘Uhhhhhh-huh! Th-that-that works pretty girl. I mean, pretty good!’

‘Wait, wait, wait.’ Chat Noir pressed his paws together. ‘Are you saying that you’re about to take this civilian to a secondary location?’

Alya wrapped herself around Carapace and winked. ‘What’s new, pussycat?’

Carapace saluted before jumping to the next roof.

‘Bugaboo,’ said Chat Noir, scooping Ladybug up. ‘Are you okay?’

She nodded and curled closer into him. ‘Can we stop by my mom’s for spicy noodles?’

‘Tomorrow.’ He kissed her forehead and pole vaulted back to their apartment.


	16. Kwami of Creation

_‘It’s for the best, My Lady!’_

_‘Chat! You stupid cat!’ screamed Ladybug._

_He saluted her before running across the train and diving into a steaming bowl of dumplings._

_‘Chat!’_

_Ladybug’s earrings beeped. How? She hadn’t used Lucky Charm yet!_

_A figure in purple robes and a deep hood spun a cane in the air and landed on the train platform across from Ladybug. ‘Not much longer now, Marinette Dupain-Cheng!’_

_The beeping didn’t stop._

_Ladybug turned, looking for a place to transform._

_The rumbling of a train competed with the beeping earrings._

_She detransformed, screaming for help._

_‘Ladybug? Ladynette’_

_A deep voice said, ‘Do I have your attention now, Lady Noire?’_

_The train rushed past._

‘Marinette? Wake up, sweetie.’

Marinette jerked awake. She sat up from the couch. Her head bobbed as she looked around, recognising the familiar surroundings of her apartment.

Sabine set a bowl of soup on the coffee table. She sat down next to her daughter and brushed Marinette’s hair from her face. ‘Welcome back. You scared us.’

‘What happened?’

‘You passed out at work. Adrien brought you home and called me.’

Marinette sniffed the bowl of soup but pushed it away.  ‘I’m sorry. What time is it?’

‘Almost nine p.m. You woke up enough to come home but slept until now.’ Sabine stroked Marinette’s hair. ‘Is it the headaches still?’

She nodded. ‘Not sure how I’m going to be able to make it through the new semester at this rate.’

‘You still have a week before classes start. You can take a break. There’s no shame in listening to your body when it tells you to take some time off.’

‘Marinette can, but Ladybug can’t. I want to crawl into bed and sleep for a year.’ Marinette pulled the quilt to her nose and curled up against her mother.

‘That might not be such a bad idea.’ Tikki hovered by Marinette’s face. ‘You haven’t been feeling very well for over a month. Maybe you should go to the doctor.’

‘Has it been that long already?’ Marinette rubbed her face.

Sabine rubbed her daughter’s back. ‘Why haven’t you said anything? We can help you.’

‘I’m tired of being helped. At this point, I don’t know if what I’m receiving is based on my own merits or if it’s because of the family I married into.’ Tears trickled down her cheeks. ‘I hate this.’

‘Did you eat anything today? Before you fainted at work?’

‘I ate plenty today, and I drank enough water that I couldn’t stop peeing.’

The front door opened. Adrien entered with bags of groceries in his hands.

Nino closed the door, two bags in his own hands. ‘Hi, Marinette. Hi, Mrs Cheng.’

Adrien set his bags on the kitchen counter and fished out a box. He handed it to Sabine. ‘Is this the right brand?’

‘It’s perfect.’ Sabine nudged her dozing daughter. ‘Come on, sweetie. We’re going to test a theory of mine.’

Tikki giggled. ‘It’s not much of a theory at this point. A mother always knows.’

Sabine winked conspiratorially. ‘And a Chinese mother that much more.’

‘It’s the noodles, isn’t it?’ said Tikki.

Twenty minutes later, Marinette emerged from the bathroom. She stared at the plastic stick. ‘Um, is this right?’

Sabine read the stick and smiled. ‘Congratulations.’

Adrien leapt over the counter and bolted across the room to catch Marinette before she could collapse. ‘Hey, none of that. You already took ten years off my life today.’

‘A-Adr—’ Marinette shoved the stick into his hands and sat down.

Adrien looked at the pregnancy test.

‘Dude,’ said Nino, ‘are you okay?’

‘She’s pregnant.’ He sat down next to Marinette. ‘Holy shit. Holy. Shit.’

Plagg shot around the room making excited sounds.

Nino caught the Kwami. ‘What’s got you so excited?’

‘Kittens,’ said Plagg, grinning.

Marinette looked up. ‘I’m on birth control. How am I pregnant?’

Plagg twiddled his paws. ‘Erm, well, when the Kwamis of Creation and Destruction are so _intimately_ involved, modern medicine doesn’t stand much of a chance.’

The expecting parents looked at Tikki.

She blinked innocently at them. ‘I’m the Kwami of Creation. You really think a piece of y-shaped plastic and artificially induced hormones are going to stop me?’

Adrien sputtered.

Plagg snickered. ‘You could say—’

‘Don’t,’ said Adrien.

‘I _cataclysmed_ the IUD.’

Marinette inhaled sharply and mentally screamed.

Nino removed his hat and held it over his heart. ‘A moment of silence for our dear friends, Adrien Agreste and Plagg the Kwami. They’re not dead yet, but they will be once Marinette remembers how to breathe.’

Adrien glared at his friend.

Marinette got her breath back and marched into the bedroom.

Nino replaced his hat. ‘Yeah, so I should maybe head out…’

‘Nuh-uh.’ Adrien grabbed his friend by the collar. ‘You’ve got to save me. Mar’s going to kill me.’

Nino squinted and cocked his head. ‘Why?’

‘Because I’m—because I’m…’ He hung his head and mumbled something.

‘What did you say?’

Adrien took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Because she can’t be Ladybug while pregnant!’

‘A little louder, Adrien,’ said Sabine. ‘I don’t think Tom’s relatives in Vicenza heard clearly enough.’

Nino rubbed his ears and patted his friend on the shoulder. ‘Dude, it’s going to be okay. Pretty sure if the Kwamis can get around birth control…’ His tone faded.

Plagg tilted his head, tail whipping with excitement.

‘Wayzz?’

The Turtle Kwami appeared from his Chosen’s pocket. ‘Yes?’

‘Can the same thing happen with the Fox and the Turtle?’

‘Not to my knowledge, but you are my first Chosen since well before the invention of modern birth control.’

‘Great.’ Nino played with his hat. ‘Guess I need to have Alya take one of those, too.’

‘Might be a good idea,’ said Sabine.

‘Is there anything else I can do?’ Nino put his hat back on and rubbed his clammy hands.

Adrien shook his head. ‘Let us know if you’re expecting.’

Nino blanched and hurried out into the blustery weather.

Sabine made a pot of tea and set it and cups on the table. She went to the bedroom door and knocked. ‘Marinette? Is there anything else I can help with?’

Marinette opened the door and hugged her mother. ‘I’ll call you if I need you.’

‘I love you.’

‘I love you, too.’

Marinette walked her mother to the door and shut it behind her.

Adrien rubbed his hands on his trousers.

Marinette slid against the door to the floor.

Tikki buzzed over and settled on Marinette’s knee. ‘It’s going to be okay. You can still be Ladybug. The baby actually makes it easier to protect you from injury because of the regenerative properties the body naturally produces when pregnant.’

Marinette picked up Tikki and held her close. ‘Can I really go out? What if we’re still fighting Farfallina when I’m too big to move easily?’

‘Marinette, you’re not my first pregnant Ladybug. I can make it so the suit hides your pregnancy. That way you can still fight and not worry about hurting yourself!’

‘What about Chat Noir?’ said Adrien. ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’

‘Hold her tightly and never let her go,’ sang Plagg.

‘Plagg.’ Tikki clicked her tongue.

‘Okay, so you might have a little extra bad luck, but nothing too terrible.’

Adrien folded his arms.

Plagg folded his own arms. ‘No, there’s nothing special for you. You’re there to support her already. You just have more motivation now.’

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I’m not comfortable with you being Ladybug, Mar. I’m not even comfortable with you going to work right now. You do a lot of standing.’

Marinette glared at him. ‘Don’t you dare try to control me.’

‘It’s not just the Ladybug issue.’ Adrien raised his hands defensively. ‘I just remember stylists mentioning that standing for too long is a legitimate cause of miscarriage in the industry. I don’t want to have to go through that.’

Plagg settled on Adrien’s shoulder. ‘And you won’t. Tikki takes care of her own.’

Tikki beamed.

‘And I take care of Tikki and hers. You’re all set, kid.’

‘But what about—’

‘No buts, Adrien.’ Marinette clambered to her feet. ‘I am not giving up my life and the responsibility of protecting Paris just because we have an unexpected addition on its way.’

Adrien opened his mouth.

She covered his mouth.

Marinette took a deep breath and looked up at him. ‘I swear, if you turn into your father—’

Adrien pulled away. ‘I am not turning into my father!’

‘You trying to protect me is exactly what he’s doing to Nathalie! They fought for two weeks straight about the status of the baby. She _cried_ , Adrien! Nathalie cried because of the situation.’

Marinette paused for breath. ‘Okay, she cried because someone ordered 400 yards of black velvet—’

‘Father hates black velvet.’

‘Don’t interrupt.’

‘She also didn’t want the baby.’

‘Gosh, I wonder why?’

Adrien pulled at his hair. ‘I just want to keep you safe.’

‘I’ll be safe! When have I ever done anything without thinking it through?’

‘Should I answer chronologically or alphabetically?’ said Tikki.

Marinette groaned.

Adrien wrung his hands. ‘Can you please not be Ladybug?’

‘I’ve been Ladybug this whole time.’

‘But how do we know?’

Plagg coughed. ‘The baby was conceived the first night you retrieved us from the Box, when you became Ladybug and Chat Noir again.’

Tikki glared at Plagg. ‘They weren’t supposed to know.’

He shrugged. ‘I think they need to.’

‘Are you saying you two planned this?’ Marinette’s hands instinctively reached for her still flat stomach.

Plagg hovered in front of her stomach and pressed his ear to it. He sighed contentedly. ‘It’s a strong one. As strong as Camembert.’

‘Gross.’ 

Tikki rolled her eyes. ‘We’re Creation and Destruction, Life and Death. It was inevitable that you and Chat Noir would create new life, bring new balance, once you became intimate.’

‘Would it have happened with a non-Miraculous holder?’

‘Probably not,’ said Tikki. ‘The rules change when both parents are Miraculous holders.’

Adrien paled.

‘What?’ said Marinette.

‘I just realised: Is that why you were both so against us learning each other’s identities?’

‘Sure thing,’ said Plagg cheerily.

‘One reason,’ said Tikki dryly.

‘You wouldn’t be the first teenage parents,’ said Plagg. ‘Actually, you’re older than most of our Wielders when they become parents. I’m almost impressed.’ He looked sad for a moment. ‘Although that usually means I have to say goodbye to Camembert for a few months.’

Marinette shuddered. ‘Please.’

Adrien spun the wedding band on his hand. ‘We’re going to have to tell my father. I’m sure your mom has already told your dad.’

She shook her head. ‘I am not subjecting myself to both of you running around, trying to control me. That’s a definite recipe for someone to get Akumatized.’

‘Just, Mar…’

She glared at him. ‘Just what, Adrien?’

He collected his coat from the closet.

‘Where are you going?’

He pulled on the coat and scarf. ‘Out. I need to clear my head.’

‘Adrien!’

‘Bad call, kid.’

‘You’re not invited.’ Adrien took his Miraculous off and set it on the table.

Plagg hovered nervously, staring at the ring.

Adrien shut the door firmly behind him and went out into the stormy night.

 

 

Nino put his keys into the lock and paused. A shrill laugh cut through the door. He didn’t remember any plans for company.

He opened the door and stepped inside. ‘It’s getting bad out there.’ He shook and water droplets flew off of him.

Alya appeared, a glass of wine in hand. ‘You’re back already?’

‘There was a fight brewing between Marinette and Adrien. Thought it best to come home now rather than be a casualty of the battle.’ He hung his coat up to dry and kissed his girlfriend.

She frowned. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘I didn’t get permission to say, so I’ll let you call Marinette.’ He held up the plastic bag. ‘I did get us a few things for tonight, though.’

‘Can it wait? I’m having girl time with Lila right now.’

Wayzz disappeared back into his Chosen’s pocket.

‘I thought she’d gone back to school,’ said Nino quietly.

‘She’s doing distance learning, just like Adrien. Her mom may have cancer, so she moved back.’

‘Huh.’ Nino followed Alya to the living area. ‘Hey, Lila.’

‘Hi, Nino!’ Lila looked perfectly content curled up on the couch. She had pulled a handmade quilt up to her chin and balanced a glass of wine in her hand. ‘How bad is the storm?’

‘It’s definitely getting worse. You might want to head home before too long.’ Nino set the shopping bag on the table. ‘I heard the news saying that they’re experiencing power outages in the suburbs already.’

‘Well, if you don’t want me here,’ said Lila, standing up slowly.

‘Uh! Er, it’s not that I don’t want you,’ said Nino, quavering under Alya’s raised eyebrow, ‘it’s just that I’m worried about your safety.’

‘Oh, that is so sweet of you! Alya, I’ll never be as lucky as you.’ Lila pinched Nino’s cheeks. Her eyes widened slightly at the bag on the table.

Nino looked over his shoulder and blushed.

The label for a pregnancy test could clearly be seen.

Alya noticed the box. ‘Nino, what’s that for?’

He pulled his hat off and fiddled with it. ‘Uh, it’s for you.’

‘Why?’

He blushed. ‘There was a conversation I, uh, overheard today.’ His stammering faded off.

Lila looked between them. ‘Should I go?’

‘Sorry, I think it’s for the best,’ said Alya. ‘Will you be okay out there?’

‘I’ll be fine.’ Lila finished her glass of wine. ‘We haven’t had that much. Best of luck, Nino.’

Alya walked her friend to the door.

Nino put the groceries away and tried to calm his racing heart.

The front door opened and shut.

Footsteps padded into the kitchen.

Alya leaned against the counter and crossed her arms. ‘All right. Spill.’


	17. Patriarch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some actual A+ parenting from Gabriel Agreste before returning to our regularly scheduled parenting, er, programming.

Gabriel stood in the lobby of Agreste Fashions and watched the late-January storm wreak havoc outside. He tightened the scarf around his neck.

His phone rang. It was his driver.

‘What?’

‘Sir, Ms Sancoeur’s car is still here.’

Gabriel frowned. She had to stop doing this. Crisply, he said, ‘Wait for us in front of the building.’

‘Yes, sir.’

He hung up and rode the elevator to the appropriate floor.

Silence reigned over the normally hyper-busy offices and workstations. His footsteps sounded loud against the carpeted floor.

Through the office’s glass walls, he could see Nathalie sleeping, her arms protecting her head from the desk’s hard surface.

He opened the door without hesitation and shook her gently. ‘Nathalie.’

She jerked awake. ‘Sir?’

‘It’s all right.’

She pulled her glasses on. ‘What time is it?’

‘It’s going on eleven.’

She rubbed her face, careful to not smudge her makeup. ‘I fell asleep.’

‘You were supposed to go home at seven.’ He collected her coat and helped her put it on.

She yawned. ‘I needed to finish a report.’

‘You can finish it tomorrow. Based on the storm, I don’t think we’ll be able to open tomorrow.’

Nathalie nodded and collected her tablet.

Gabriel kept his arm around her during the journey home.

Once inside, he helped her remove her coat (already snug since the last alteration). He kissed her lips, a hand on her belly. ‘Sleep as late as you like.’

She kissed him back. ‘I plan on it.’

‘Do you want me to come with you?’

‘I can make it. Someone needs to check the security system and turn off the lights.’

He kissed her again. As the growing belly spoke to the passing weeks, he was careful to increase his levels of physical affection. Emilie’s own mood swings and increased insecurity when pregnant with Adrien had taught him as much. ‘I’ll be up soon.’

Nathalie stroked his face. ‘Don’t take too long. I need my eighth pillow.’

He smiled grimly. ‘I would hate to compromise my value. I’ll be up soon.’

His smile disappeared as she climbed the stairs to their bedroom. This wasn’t healthy.

Gabriel walked through the house, checking for faulty windows.

An especially strong gust of wind blew past the mansion.

He made a mental note to have the roof checked over thoroughly as soon as the storm was over.

After stopping by the office to collect his tablet and stylus, Gabriel climbed the stairs, loosening his cravat.

He stopped and sniffed.

Cigar smoke drifted from somewhere in the house. The same cigars as his father used to smoke.

Having bought the mansion well after his father’s death, Gabriel knew it wasn’t a ghost. And yet…And yet.

He followed the scent and traced it to the library, Adrien’s old school room, and, at one point, Emilie’s office.

The door was slightly ajar.

Gabriel pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The glow of a cigar hovered not quite a metre above the floor.

He turned the lights on and blinked.

Adrien sat in a wingback chair, a cigar in one hand, a glass of cognac in the other. He sat back in the chair, one leg crossed over the other, his white shirt unbuttoned at the top.

‘I didn’t know you smoked.’

Adrien removed the cigar from his mouth and looked at it. ‘I didn’t know you did either.’

‘A gift from a business partner many years ago.’ Gabriel eyed the glass of brandy. ‘ _That_ , however—’

His son looked at the glass, head bobbing and swaying slightly. ‘You can’t drink it.’

‘How much have you had?’

‘Don’t remember. More than I should.’ He took a sip. ‘It’s good stuff.’

Gabriel closed the door and sat down across from his son. ‘What’s wrong?’ He studied his son. ‘Or should I ask, what’s right?’

Adrien set his cigar down. ‘Mar’s pregnant.’

‘Congratulations.’

He slumped in the chair, staring at the window. ‘We had a fight.’

‘When?’

‘Tonight. We found out tonight. Sabine made her take a pregnancy test.’

Adrien took another draw on the cigar. ‘I don’t want her to be Ladybug while she’s pregnant. Tikki and Plagg both said that it’s perfectly safe. Tikki said she can even hide the pregnancy while Marinette’s Ladybug.’

Gabriel leaned back in his own chair and folded his hands.

‘But I don’t want her to. I mean—’ Adrien sniffed and set the cigar down. ‘And now I’m here, hiding.’ 

‘What are you afraid of?’

Adrien snorted. ‘What do you think? I don’t want to turn into you. Or even Mother.’ He covered his mouth with his hand and tapped a finger. ‘We have such insane schedules. What if I end up being a completely absent father? What if I overcompensate for how you raised me and we end up with a Chloe? What if—?’

He stopped at his father’s exasperated sigh.

‘I’m surprised at you, Adrien. Marinette is usually the one overthinking everything.’

‘It’s just…it’s a lot. What if I screw up?’

Gabriel tented his fingers. ‘You will. There’s no question about it. Every parent makes regrettable decisions. It is human to err.’

Adrien stared at his father. ‘You almost sound like a normal father. For once.’

‘Hm.’

Adrien rubbed at a spot on his dark trousers. ‘I just—part of me wants to make peace with the past.’

The curtains shivered from a gust of wind.

‘I was wondering if I could visit Mother’s body.’

Gabriel sighed and removed his glasses. ‘There is no body.’

Adrien’s mouth fell open. Two red spots gathered and grew on his cheeks. ‘Why?’

‘When Emilie—when your mother fell comatose, I placed her in a stasis chamber.’

‘Those are real?’

‘Nathalie found it. I didn’t ask questions. Too...too desperate at the time.’ Gabriel tapped his glasses against his leg. ‘The stasis chamber kept her physically alive. But then—’ He cleared his throat. ‘The blackout when you were in _lycée_ …’ His lips pinched together, turning white. ‘The generators failed. Her body turned to dust.’ He put his glasses back on, stared at the book-lined wall, and cleared his throat again. ‘That’s when I realised enough was enough.’

A roof tile crashed in the street outside.

‘I see.’ Adrien set the cognac on the table. ‘So you didn’t choose me.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘You didn’t stop because of the goodness of your heart or from being tired of failing all the time or because our relationship was destroyed.’ He shivered. ‘Or because Nathalie was the walking dead.’

‘She never grew as ill as your mother.’

‘She was ill! You never stopped to think about how it affected her.’

‘I did. It was a calculated risk. I thought it—’

‘Did you? Did you?’ Adrien stood up and kicked the chair. ‘You don’t deserve her. You don’t deserve us! You don’t deserve this happy ending!’

Gabriel blinked, jaw tensed.  

Adrien paced about the room. He grabbed his glass and swallowed the rest of the cognac. ‘How did she get better after you surrendered the Miraculouses?’

‘The Guardian knew how to reverse the process. That’s when I realised that she had become my rock. I couldn’t lose that.’

Adrien pulled at his hair with his free hand. He puffed on the cigar, ash spilling in his wake.

‘Stop that.’

‘Do you love her?’

‘Nathalie is my rock.’

‘But do you love her?’

Gabriel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. ‘I loved your mother. I always will. You need to know that.’

Adrien gestured at his father. ‘But I want you to love Nathalie. And my new brother or sister. Is it too much to ask? You have a _grandchild_ on the way! How do I know you’ll love it?’

When Gabriel didn’t answer, Adrien said, ‘Why do I even ask?’ He leaned against the back of the chair. ‘I guess this is as good a time as any to tell you.’

Gabriel looked up.

‘I made a deal with Nathalie. She has the lawyers drawing up a contract.’

‘And?’

Adrien held more tightly to the chair. ‘If for any reason you appear to be an unfit parent, and that includes emotional neglect or abuse, Marinette and I have the right to assume full custody of the child. Including visitation rights.’

‘Why would you do that?’

Adrien looked up at the ceiling and took a calming breath. ‘Oh, I don’t know.’ He looked back at his father. ‘Perhaps because Nathalie doesn’t really want the baby and you have the worst record when it comes to parenting?’

‘I thought—’

‘She never wanted to be a mother! She’s only keeping it because it makes you happy.’

Gabriel stood up, fists clenched. ‘When did she tell you?’

Adrien stared at the chair’s cushion. ‘She lost it one night, broke down crying when working late. Miriam had to call Marinette for help.’

‘Nathalie cried?’

‘I know. I couldn’t visualise it either.’

‘When was this?’

‘The night before I came home for break. Marinette told me when I got home.’

Gabriel pursed his lips. ‘We’ve worked many things out. She seems to want—’

‘It doesn’t matter where things stand now.’ Adrien crushed the cigar into an ash tray. ‘Marinette and I are signing papers on Friday with Nathalie and two of the lawyers. Are we understood, Father?’

‘Understood.’

‘Good. I will not let my sibling grow up wondering if they’re loved or when the next scrap of affection will be thrown their way.’

Gabriel held his hands behind his back. ‘Then let us wish each other luck that such an opportunity never arises.’

Adrien’s jaw trembled before locking.

‘You’re welcome to stay here tonight.’

He gave a curt nod and marched out of the room.

Once the door closed, Gabriel sank down and buried his face in his hands. ‘Oh, Emilie.’

The butterfly phased through the window and went straight to the stylus in his jacket pocket.

‘Hello, Patriarch, I’m Farfallina,’ said a soft voice. ‘Your sense of loss and its ensuing despair makes you feel helpless. I’ll help you regain your power as the leader of this family.’

Gabriel clenched his fists. ‘You promised to leave them alone!’

‘I am! I’m leaving _them_ alone. But you forgot to include yourself in our little bargain.’

Gabriel’s despair turned to rage. He picked up the stylus. Black bubbles swept over him.

 

 

The Akuma alert chimed on Adrien’s phone. He rolled over in his old bed and grabbed his phone. He looked at the alert and groaned.

His phone rang immediately. He opened up the video chat option. ‘I’m sorry, My Lady. Will you forgive me?’

Ladybug frowned at the screen. ‘Are you sober?’

‘Yes?’ He rubbed his temples. ‘Not sure. Will you please bring me my ring? I’ll make it up later.’

Early morning sun poured through his windows.

She rolled her eyes. ‘Plagg, can you work with a hungover Chosen?’

Off-screen, Plagg scoffed. ‘What makes you think I had any sober Chosens before potable water?’

‘Fair point. I’ll be there in five.’ She hung up.

Adrien crawled out of bed and waited for Ladybug by the old window.

As soon as the bright speck of red appeared, he opened it. He yelped as a collection of rainwater poured over him, soaking his clothes.

Ladybug dove through the window and rolled up to a standing position. She ran her eyes over her husband and gave a low whistle. Her eyes ran up and down over him. ‘If this is the first step in your grovelling process, you’re off to a good start.’ She grinned. ‘You look like the cover of a bodice-ripper.’

Adrien blushed but bowed. ‘At your service, My Lady.’ He held his hands together in supplication. ‘May I please have my ring back?’

She dropped it into his hand and hugged him. ‘I love you.’

He buried his hands and face in her hair. ‘I don’t know what I’d do without you.’ He squeezed his eyes shut. ‘I’m scared.’

‘So am I.’ She kissed him. ‘We’ll get through this. We always do.’

Adrien slid the ring on. ‘Plagg, claws out!’  

They ran across the rooftops of Paris, careful after the damage of the night’s storm.

The heroes slid to a stop on the grassy lawn by the Eiffel Tower and stared.

Ladybug blinked several time. ‘Um…?’

Chat Noir stood with arms crossed and shook his head. ‘Okay, that’s a new one.’ He scratched the back of his head. ‘That is Gabriel Agreste with a four-foot beard.’

‘I don’t think there’s enough luxury fabric for him to apologise to Nathalie for this.’

‘Even with proper grovelling, she may actually kill him this time.’

Ladybug glanced at her partner. ‘Nino will want to sell tickets.’

A grim smile flitted across Chat Noir’s features. ‘I’ll let him.’

The Akuma raised his staff to the sky. The water-logged grass turned red. The sharp smell of iron filled the air.

Shouting and a handful of screams came from the clean-up crews around the city.

‘Oh, gross!’ Ladybug covered her nose and mouth. ‘Is that blood?’

Chat Noir knelt down and touched the moisture. He gagged. ‘It is.’ He looked up as dark clouds gathered over the Tower. ‘This is bad, My Lady.’

‘Get it over and done with.’

They ran across the grass, blood splashing over their costumes.

The Akuma raised its staff into the air again.

Frogs crawled from the pools of blood and hopped around. Their croaking filled the city.

People threw open windows and doors, wondering at the noise.

Chat Noir slipped on a frog and slipped. He managed to avoid landing face-first in a puddle of blood.

Ladybug helped him to his feet.

Chat Noir turned around and shook his head, trying to get as much of the blood off as possible. ‘Blech!’

‘What is happening?’ said Ladybug as they reached the Tower. ‘I don’t recognise any of this.’

‘I’m guessing the Ten Plagues of Egypt.’ Chat Noir tried to wade through the frogs.

‘The what?’ Ladybug grimaced as a frog splashed blood onto her face. ‘Oh, that’s just gross.’

‘The Ten Plagues of Egypt.’

‘The what?’

‘From the Christian Bible?’

Ladybug shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. ‘Not ringing any bells.’

‘Wait, are you saying you haven’t even seen _The Prince of Egypt_? It was revolutionary!’

Ladybug caught him by the waist and they flew via yoyo to the top level.

Something tickled her scalp.

She shrieked and swore. They landed heavily on one of the balconies and rolled to a stop.

‘Hold still,’ said Chat, checking her hair after scratching his own head. ‘It’s lice.’

She swore. ‘How many plagues are there and how bad do they get?’

Chat blinked, trying to remember his mythology course. His face turned deadly white. ‘Let’s just say we need to stop the Akuma before the tenth plague.’

‘Why?’

‘Because a lot of Paris, including us, is going to die.’ He scratched behind his ear again. ‘Forget any plans for tonight. We are absolutely watching _The Prince of Egypt_ when we get home.’

Ladybug threw her yoyo and went to the highest level.

Chat Noir landed beside her and said, ‘I can’t believe you don’t know anything about the Plagues. It’s basic literature at the very least.’

‘Blame my parents and the French school system.’

They found the Akuma about to raise his staff again.

Chat Noir brought his own staff down and knocked the Akuma back a few steps. ‘All right, what cheesy name did Farfallina give you? Mnemoses?’

In a voice so deep as to be almost inaudible, the Akuma said, ‘I am Patriarch.’


	18. Up Is Down

Ladybug crossed her arms. ‘That is so much to unpack right there.’

‘My Women’s and Gender Studies instructor is going to have a field day,’ said Chat Noir, leaning on his staff.

Patriarch stared back with narrowed eyes. ‘You wish to undermine my authority?’ He raised his staff to the sky.

Flies filled the air. They crawled into hair, eyes, throats, ears, and mouths.

On the streets below, clean-up crews screamed as the flies crawled into their clothes.

The frogs chased happily after the flies, croaking and singing until it was difficult to hear anything else.

The smell of blood seemed to grow thicker and heavier.

Ladybug called up Lucky Charm through clenched teeth. This was so gross!

She squinted at the Lucky Charm, trying to keep the flies out of her eyes. It was a scarf.

Chat Noir leaned in close. Speaking directly over her ear, he said, ‘My father’s ascot?’

They looked at his beard.

‘You can pull it,’ said Ladybug.

Chat Noir shook his head.

Ladybug looked around, gathering the necessary clues. With a gulp (which turned into a cough after realising she had swallowed a fly), she shouted, ‘Engage!’ She shoved Chat Noir at Patriarch.

Chat Noir stumbled into Patriarch.

The older man pushed him back and struck at Chat Noir with his staff.

Chat rolled out of the way and sprung to his feet, slipping on the frogs. He deflected the next blow with his staff, but Patriarch caught him in the back with the backswing.

‘How many times do I have to tell you?’ bellowed Patriarch. Three blows came in quick succession.

Chat Noir hissed and tried to catch up the Akuma’s feet. ‘I _am_ paying attention to my surroundings!’ He caught a blow and deflected it towards the inside of the tower, shoving the Akuma against a guardrail.

Ladybug’s yoyo caught one of his ankles.

Patriarch pointed his staff at her. A serpent crawled from the staff and towards her.

Ladybug yelped.

The yoyo slipped from Patriarch's ankles.

He coughed and climbed to his feet. He lifted his staff to the air again.

A wheezing Ladybug jumped on Patriarch’s shoulders. She slipped the scarf over his eyes. ‘Chat! Cata—!’ She gagged on the flies. ‘The staff!’

‘Cataclysm!’ Chat Noir touched the wooden staff.

It disintegrated. The Akuma crawled out of the dust.

Patriarch crumpled to the deck.

Ladybug rolled off and caught the butterfly. She threw the scarf into the air.

As soon as the red ladybugs swept over the city, the heroes took deep breaths and sighed with relief.

‘I need a shower,’ said Chat Noir. ‘Care to join?’

‘Gladly.’

Below, they watched clean-up crews returning to their work. The Seine had been restored to its normal murk.

The damage of the night’s storm remained.

Black bubbles dropped away to reveal Gabriel Agreste. He climbed to his feet and looked around. He looked uneasy as he said, ‘Farfallina?’

Chat Noir nodded wearily.

Ladybug ran her hands through her hair. No more lice! ‘We should get you home.’

‘I have an extra minute,’ said Chat Noir. ‘Can you get him home? I’ll handle whatever reporters are out.’

Ladybug nodded. She grabbed Gabriel Agreste around the waist and yoyoed back to the mansion. Her transformation dropped once through the back door and inside the kitchen.

Tikki dropped into Marinette’s hands. ‘I never thought to see the plagues again.’

Marinette grabbed a handful of cookies from the cupboard and gave them to Tikki.

The Kwami nibbled on the first cookie.

Marinette looked at Gabriel. ‘I’m not mad at you, but I have _got_ to shower.’

Gabriel sank into one of the chairs.

A few minutes later, he heard a source of water turn on. Adrien’s shower.

He went to his office and pulled a phone from a desk drawer. He pulled up the only number and stared at it.

‘Gabriel?’

He shoved the phone into his desk and went to the foyer.

Nathalie staggered down the stairs, blinking behind her glasses. Her dressing gown slipped over one shoulder. ‘What happened? I woke up to the Akuma alert.’

‘I was Akumatized last night.’

She pulled the robe up over her shoulder and tied the sash more securely. ‘So that’s why you never came to bed.’

He stared at the floor. ‘I’m sorry.’

Nathalie’s bare toes appeared in his line of vision, the plush robe skimming her feet.

She tilted his head up to look at her.

He flinched, bracing himself.

Her eyes were sad as she said, ‘Please don’t look at me like that.’

Gabriel nodded. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘You always are.’ She went straight to the kitchen.

‘Are you all right?’ He followed close behind.

‘From the Akuma? Or from the pregnancy?’

‘Either? Both?’

‘I’m fine. I slept through most of it.’ Nathalie took out a container of yoghurt and a spoon before sitting down. She stared at the container before ripping the lid off. ‘I’m so sick of this.’

Gabriel took the chair across from her. Yoghurt was one of three things she could tolerate at this stage in the pregnancy and it showed. Instead of being full and glowing like he remembered Emilie’s pregnancy, Nathalie looked almost gaunt. Dark shadows lay under her eyes and cheekbones.

He set her feet on his knees.

She forced down three bites. ‘What happened?’

‘Adrien asked about Emilie’s body. I told him about it disintegrating but not about...’

‘About Arthur and I helping—’ Nathalie dropped her breakfast and sprinted down the corridor to the bathroom.

Gabriel threw the remaining yoghurt away and put the spoon in the sink.

‘Is she sick again?’ said Adrien, coming in. Water dripped from his hair to his collar, evidence of the hasty shower.

Plagg sat on Adrien’s shoulder and moaned over the excellence of the wedge of Camembert eaten while his Chosen had showered.

‘I told her what upset me.’ Gabriel leaned against the counter. ‘She was with me when I discovered the remains of your mother’s body.’

Adrien grimaced. ‘I’m sorry that my asking—’

‘It wasn’t that you asked.’ Gabriel took a deep breath. ‘It was the feeling of powerlessness.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I couldn’t save your mother. I did everything possible, everything I could think of, and I still lost her. If I had made it to the last plague, I would have lost you!’

Adrien’s mouth fell open. ‘Patriarch. “Gabriel Agreste, that—”’

‘“That damned Victorian patriarch”, yes.’

‘Then that means it’s someone familiar with us. With you.’

Nathalie returned, pale and shaky.

Adrien felt her forehead. ‘Please tell me you’re going to the doctor soon.’

‘I have an appointment tomorrow.’

‘You should go back to bed.’

She shook her head. ‘There was an email—’

‘You can work from your bed,’ said Adrien.

‘Are you trying to order me around?’

He tried to smile and failed, the argument with Marinette too fresh. ‘I’m concerned for you.’

She patted his arm. ‘Don’t be too concerned; you don’t want to upset your sister.’

‘I don’t have a sis…’ His face lit up. ‘I’m getting a sister?’

He picked up Nathalie, spinning around twice before setting her down. ‘I’m getting a sister!’

Marinette appeared, hair wrapped in a towel and wearing a spare dressing gown. ‘What’s going on?’

‘I’m getting a sister!’ Adrien burst into tears, dropping into a kitchen chair.

Marinette sat on his lap and let him cry into her shoulder.

When Adrien finally calmed down, she looked up at Gabriel. ‘Did you learn anything?’

Gabriel shook his head.

‘There must have been something, a way for you to pick Farfallina’s brain as an Akuma. Your Akumas were always able to talk to you when you opened a link.’

‘How long were you Akumatized for?’ said Adrien.

‘Not long after you left the library.’

Adrien’s brows rose. ‘I went to bed at one. You were Akumatized for over seven hours?’

‘I think that’s Farfallina’s longest Akuma.’ A calculating look settled over Marinette’s features before vanishing behind a polished look.

‘It is,’ said Nathalie. ‘And don’t bother trying to hide your thoughts. We taught you that trick.’

Marinette looked embarrassed. ‘Are you saying that all the time that you spent as an Akuma, you just stayed low? She never talked with you, berated you for not drawing us out? How did your emotions stay so strong for so long?’

Gabriel chewed the inside of his cheek.

Adrien’s phone rang. He picked up. ‘Hey, Alya, what—yeah, she’s right here.’ He handed the phone to Marinette.

‘Hello?’ said Marinette, stepping out of the kitchen. She closed the door behind her.

‘Girl, you are _not_ going to believe what I found buried so deeply that I’m surprised Time itself hadn’t forgotten it!’

Marinette glanced at the closed kitchen door. ‘What did you find?’

‘Gabriel had a second phone.’

‘That’s it? You called me—?’

‘No, no, no! Listen! He used it for calls and texts with one number and one number only.’

Marinette whispered, ‘Do you think it was an affair?’

‘Pfft! With any other man, probably. Actually, this might have been an affair but of the Gabriel Agreste sort. I’m trying to trace the number he called, but it’s been long enough that most records have been relegated to some forgotten database.’

‘His number was already incredibly private.’ Marinette paced in circles around the dining room table. ‘But with it being on the phone list for our school, I can understand why he might want a second number.’

‘Except—?’

‘The records indicate only the one number.’ Marinette looked at the door. ‘And he didn’t want Nathalie to know about it.’

‘She had the billing history saved. She saw it.’

‘What file was it in?’

‘Umm…’ The sound of typing and a couple of choice curses echoed down the line. ‘It’s in File D.’

‘D for _divers_ , meaning it’s highly likely she just threw it in there and forgot about it.’ Marinette stared at the security camera blinking at her. ‘Can you let me know as soon as you trace the owner of that phone?’

‘You think it’s that important?’

‘I think Gabriel knows who Farfallina is. He was Akumatized—’

‘Wait! _Gabriel_ was this morning’s Akuma?’

‘I know! He was in that form for seven, almost eight hours and denies learning anything.’

‘Akumas don’t remember what happened to them once the transformation fades.’

‘Except that he’s extremely agitated.’

‘Gabriel Agreste? Agitated?’

‘I’ve learned enough of his tells. He’s hiding something.’

‘Is Nathalie there?’

‘Yeah, but she’s so exhausted that she can barely keep her head up. This pregnancy is really taking a toll on her. Adrien’s trying to talk her into going back to bed.’

‘Best of luck with that. Speaking of pregnancies…’

Marinette tensed.

‘Nino said to tell you that I’m not. We’re still clear.’

‘Lucky you.’

‘Coffee later?’

Marinette chewed on a thumbnail. ‘Please.’

‘Good, I’ll text you.’ A beeping sounded. ‘Shit, I need to go. I have another call coming in. Talk later!’

Marinette looked at her phone before shoving it in her pocket.

Adrien knocked on the door and stuck his head through. ‘May I come in?’

‘What do you want?’

He closed the door behind him and shoved his hands in his pockets. ‘I thought a lot last night, about the baby.’ He looked at her with pleading eyes. ‘I can’t lose you.’

‘You won’t.’

‘No, just—’ He ran his hands through his hair. ‘Just listen to me.’

He paced about the room, careful to keep the long table between them. ‘I can’t lose you because—because I can’t promise that I won’t turn into my father. I understand his motivation now. And that scares me.’

He stopped and gripped the back of a chair. ‘I already have the Black Cat Miraculous. I’d only need the Ladybug Miraculous to complete any wish. Who’s going to stop me?’

Marinette held out a hand.

Adrien rushed to her and took it.

‘I’m sorry, _chaton_.’ She hugged him, burying her face in his neck. ‘I forget.’

‘I can’t turn into him.’

‘I won’t let you.’

‘But what if…’

She took his face in her hands. ‘We have friends, close, amazing, strong friends who will stop at nothing to keep you safe and sane. And you’re not going to lose me. I’m Ladybug.’

‘Is it really that easy?’

‘It’s just a baby.’ She laughed.

‘What?’

‘Just a quote my Nonna likes to say: “They’re making those things every day”.’ She smoothed his forehead with her finger. ‘I think the Ladybug and Black Cat can handle something so mundane.’

‘Gladly,’ said Tikki from Marinette’s pocket.

Plagg purred on his Chosen’s shoulder.


	19. La Belle-Mère

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so excited to post! This chapter and the next are my favourite chapters of the narrative.

A knock sounded on Nathalie’s office door. Her assistant poked his head in. ‘Madame Sancoeur, Adrien has arrived.’

‘Thank you, Sebastian.’ She collected the necessary files and went to Gabriel’s office.

As she walked, she noticed several of the desks bearing balloons, flower arrangements, and small stuffed animals. Valentine’s Day.

She escaped into the starkness of Gabriel’s office. 'Good afternoon, Adrien.' 

He immediately hugged her. ‘How are you feeling today?’

She sniffed and grimaced. ‘You had Camembert right before coming.’

He looked embarrassed. ‘Technically Plagg did. Are you going to be okay?’

‘We’ll find out.’

Gabriel rushed in. ‘Damned Easter ad campaign.’

‘That should have been taken care of before Christmas.’ Nathalie handed him a thick file.

‘Hence the new hires.’ He dropped into his chair.

‘These are the profiles of applicants who have met with my approval.’ Nathalie handed Adrien a similar file.

‘Thanks, Mom.’ Adrien took the file.

Gabriel looked up.

Sensing the disapproval, Adrien looked up from his reading. ‘What?’

‘You called her “mother”.’

Adrien bit his lip and glanced at Nathalie. ‘No,’ he turned his attention to his father. ‘I called her Mom. Appropriate considering she’s been that for ten years now.’

‘She is not your mother.’

Adrien’s neck turned red. ‘Then what is she? She’s married to my father.’

Gabriel blinked.

‘She took me to and from school every day, attended my sporting events and award ceremonies, sat up when I had pneumonia, made the argument for me to go to public school and make friends—’

‘Enough.’

‘—I went to her with questions you refused to answer—’

‘Enough!’ Gabriel rose to his feet.

Adrien mirrored his father’s posture, down to the icy look on his face. ‘And she’s the mother of my new sister! What does that make her?’

‘Your step-mother.’

Adrien threw his hands in the air. ‘And that’s how I’m supposed to greet her?’ He gripped the lapels of his jacket and adopted a plummy English accent. ‘Good evening, Father. Good evening, Step-Mother. Just down from Cambridge for playing a jolly good prank on the dean.’

He returned to his normal stance. ‘Is that what you want from me?’

‘I forbid you to call her mother.’

‘Why?’

Nathalie’s fingers drummed on her tablet.

‘Why, Father? Why cannot I call the woman who has done and sacrificed so much for our family my mother?’ His jaw jutted out. ‘Is it because you still don’t love her?’

‘That has nothing to do with this.’

‘I think it does. She’s always been our babysitter, our housekeeper. I’ve seen her records on our family, all the juggling that happened, all the lies that she kept track of so nothing conflicted.’

‘Everything she has is because of me.’

‘Really?’ said Nathalie.

They looked at her.

Her cheeks were flaming. ‘The police would have found Hawkmoth in a month without my help. They almost found you when I went to New York for five days.’

‘It wasn’t—’

‘They boarded the plane the second it landed at Charles de Gaulle airport and took me away for questioning. That’s how close you were to being found out by the authorities.’

‘I didn’t—why didn’t you tell me?’

‘Because I was stupid enough to think that not telling you would help the situation.’

Gabriel sat down. ‘Nathalie…’

Adrien locked his hands behind his back. ‘Tell her what you told me.’

Gabriel’s eyes flicked a challenge to his son.

‘You don’t love her; she’s only your rock! You’re still in love with Emilie.’

‘No.’

‘Don’t insult me, Father.’ Adrien bowed curtly and left.

Gabriel looked to his wife. ‘I do love you. You know that, right?’

Her hand was on the door handle when Gabriel said, ‘Do you hate her?’

Nathalie looked up and the ceiling and swallowed the rising emotions. ‘Don’t push on something you don’t want to follow through on.’

‘I need to know.’

She rested her forehead against the door. 

‘Nathalie.’

‘What do you want me to say?’ She turned and faced him. ‘Yes, I hated Emilie? Or no, dear, sweet husband; I’m perfectly content taking whatever affection you have left after worshipping your dead wife’s memory.’

She pasted a bright smile on her face. ‘I love taking other women’s leavings, of knowing that everyone shows respect to my face before turning around to gossip about the stereotypical slut of a secretary who seduced the emotionally weakened widower.’

‘Are they really saying that?’

Her face hardened. ‘Not to my face.’

‘I had no idea.’

‘Because you never ask! Because you never communicate. Adrien has spent years telling his bodyguard and me everything because you and Emilie were always too busy for him.’

Nathalie tapped her fingers twice on the tablet. ‘So yes, I admit it: I hate Emilie Agreste and what she did to this family. I hate that she is dead and gone and yet her presence is still here. We sleep in a guest room, Gabriel! In your own house, you are a guest! You haven’t even removed her clothes and belongings from the master suite! Because of a woman long dead who never loved you in the first place.’

Gabriel planted his hands against his desk. ‘How dare you?’

‘After eleven years of slaving away for you, I think I’ve earned it.’

She threw the doors open and walked out.

Miriam stared, perfectly made-up eyes wide in horror.

Employees stood frozen, staring from the maze of desks and workstations.

In a clipped tone, Nathalie said, ‘Everyone back to work.’

The office returned to its normal hum.

Nathalie marched to her office.

Everyone kept their heads and voices low.

She slammed the door on her office and covered her mouth with her hands to smother her scream.

Adrien slipped into the office and closed the blinds over the glass walls. He hugged his step-mother and smoothed her hair, just as she used to do for him.

‘I’m sorry.’ She perched on her desk and rubbed her temples. ‘I don’t actually hate her.’

‘I know.’

‘How much did you hear?’

‘All of it.’ He grimaced. ‘So did the rest of the office.’

Nathalie reached for the phone. ‘I’ll—I should call—’ The handset slipped from the base and clattered on her desk.

Adrien cradled the phone. ‘I’ll take care of it.’

She crossed her arms in front of her. ‘How much did you know before that?’

‘I wondered why you two hadn’t moved into the master suite.’ He rubbed his nose. ‘Like you said, no one talks about her except in the most positive of lights. It was only after Father insisted on counselling for us both that I realised that I only knew the image she projected for everyone.’

A black butterfly phased through the exterior window. It slipped into the glasses in Nathalie’s hand.

Adrien jumped back as the familiar pink butterfly appeared around her eyes.

‘Mom, fight it. Please!’ Tears filled his eyes. He took her hands and pressed his face against them. ‘Please! Don’t do this!’

A look of sorrow crossed Nathalie’s face before her lips twisted into a smile of grim satisfaction. ‘Long live the queen.’

Adrien scrambled back as the dark magic washed over Nathalie. He tripped over a box and sprawled on the floor.  ‘Maman?’

‘No, _La Belle-Mère_.’ She caught the floor-length train of her tight fitting jacket and swept it over Adrien.

Red peacock eyes swallowed him. He shrank and tumbled into the transformed Akumatized item: A glowing glass apple.

Adrien beat his fists against the red glass. ‘Let me out!’

‘When it’s safe.’ She spun on her heel and strode from the office. 

 

 

Marinette ignored the murmur sweeping the office. She pulled another pin from her mouth and stuck it through the yellow taffeta.

‘Damn!’ said the model.

Marinette looked up. Clenching her teeth to hold the pins in, she said, ‘What?’

The model pointed.

Marinette climbed to her feet and looked through the glass window.

The pins tumbled from her mouth to the floor.

Nathalie glided by, the deathly pale skin the only signal to her Akumatization. Well, that and the fact that she would have rather died than wear something so ostentatious to the office. In her hand, a glass apple glowed softly.

Marinette sprinted to the door. ‘Nathalie?’

The Akuma turned around. The train of her tight jacket of red brocade swirled about, exposing the red peacock eyes on the black lining. ‘There you are.’ She walked towards Marinette.

The young designer scrambled back. ‘Who are you?’  

‘Farfallina calls me _La Belle-Mère_.’

Marinette tilted her head. This was new. ‘What do you call yourself?’

‘Le Paon Rouge.’ The feathers of La Belle-Mère’s ruff quivered in the breeze of the air conditioner.

Marinette eyed the Akuma’s perfectly flat stomach. ‘Is the baby okay?’

La Belle-Mère held the apple in front of Marinette. ‘Terrible things happen when you interfere with a witch’s plans.’

Marinette peered through the glass before gasping. ‘Adrien?’

He pressed his hand to the glass. ‘She’s going after—’

La Belle-Mère swept her train over Marinette.

She tumbled into the apple. She landed gently on the glass floor. ‘Adrien? What’s going on?’

He staggered over to her. ‘Father upset Nathalie and now we’re roughly three inches tall.’

Marinette pressed her face against the red glass. It felt cool against her face. ‘Have you tried Cataclysm?’

‘The apple is the Akumatized object and it’s keeping me from transforming. I haven’t even seen Plagg since getting in here!’

Their view to the outside stopped in front of Gabriel’s office.

Miriam dropped her coffee cup. It shattered on the floor. ‘He’s in the Boardroom.’

La Belle-Mère inclined her head before striding through the corridors.

A minute later, the doors to the Boardroom flew open. La Belle-Mère stepped in. ‘Sorry I’m late.’

One of the board members stood up. ‘Ms Sancoeur, what are—?’

A scarlet ribbon tangled about the man’s mouth.

Gabriel spun his chair around to face Nathalie. His eyebrows rose, eyes roaming over her. ‘I was not expecting this.’

A little colour came into his cheeks. ‘You look good.’ His teeth raked over his lower lip. ‘You look really good.’

‘I’m not here for compliments.’

‘Ms Sancoeur,’ said another board member. ‘Is this really the time?’

‘Ms Sancoeur, Ms Sancoeur, Ms Sancoeur!’ La Belle-Mère snapped her fingers.

Purple smoke filled the room. The board members disappeared.

‘That’s better.’ She walked over to her husband and held out the apple. ‘Look closely.’

Her index finger lifted his chin. ‘Eyes up here, _papillon_.’

His eyes fixed on the apple and its contents. The colour fled from his face. ‘Adrien.’

‘And Marinette.’

‘Why an apple?’

She held it by her face. ‘It compliments my eyes, don’t you think?’

Gabriel looked from her eyes to the apple and back again. ‘ _La prunelle de vos yeux._ ’

‘Exactly. The apple of my eye.’ La Belle-Mère pulled Gabriel to his feet and hooked an arm through his. ‘Let’s take a walk.’

 

 

Queen Bee flew to the roof of the main office of Agreste Fashions. She landed next to Rena Rouge and crossed her arms. ‘You have got to be kidding me.’

The Akuma stood on the edge of the roof, posed to catch the optimum dramatic effect of the wind and lighting. Gabriel Agreste teetered on the raised ledge, one wrong breath away from plunging to his death.

‘Tell me about it,’ said Rena Rouge. ‘I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy, the dress, the Akuma, or all of the above, but her boobs are to die for.’

‘This is ridiculous! Utterly, utterly ridiculous!’ Queen Bee stamped her foot. ‘I’m going to have to buy a _Gabriel_ original if it can do half the work of that.’

‘You mean it’s not the Akuma?’

Queen Bee snorted. ‘I’m sure part of the dress is the Akuma. Gabriel would never put peacock symbols on anything, but it looks just like the latest Grovel Gown.’

Rena Rouge chuckled. ‘Is that what they’re calling his “I fucked up badly; here’s a dress” collection?’

‘Yup.’

‘Sorry, babe,’ said Carapace, finally remembering how to breathe, ‘but I’m buying you that dress in orange ASAP.’

‘I won’t complain. Unless it cuts into our food or rent funds.’

‘But you’ll look amazing.’ He leered at her. ‘You won’t want for food when I’m feasting on you in that dress.’

Rena Rouge smacked her boyfriend on the back of the head.

‘Cut your flirting, you two,’ said Queen Bee. ‘It looks like there’s something moving in the apple.’

‘Are you sure it’s an apple? It almost looks like it could be a heart.’

La Belle-Mère paced back and forth, her heeled boots crunching on the gravel of the rooftop. She held the glowing object close to her ample chest.

‘Assuming that is in fact Nathalie,’ said Rena Rouge, ‘what are the odds of her actually killing him?’

‘Slim,’ said Queen Bee, ‘if only for Adrien’s sake. More likely putting the fear of God in Gabriel.’

Carapace snorted. ‘I assumed he thought he was God.’

‘You’re not wrong on that account.’

They walked closer.

La Belle-Mère turned and faced them. Severe eyebrows arched over heavily made-up eyes. ‘My quarrel is not with you.’

‘Then who’s it with?’ said Queen Bee, resting a hand on her hip.

‘Why do you ask questions to which you already know the answers?’ La Belle-Mère raised her left hand, the right still cradling the apple.

‘What’s in the apple?’ said Carapace. ‘And what does Farfallina hope to do with you?’

‘Farfallina wants nothing more than chaos.’ La Belle-Mère gave a knowing smile. ‘And I’ll give her the chaos she desires.’

She placed her hand flat on Gabriel’s chest and pushed.

Queen Bee dove over the edge, Carapace close behind.

A scarlet peacock rushed to intercept her.

‘Yikes!’ Queen Bee flew backwards.

The peacock forced her through a window before diving again.

A faint ‘Shelter!’ echoed through the urban canyon.

Rena Rouge swung through the broken window. Her feet caught La Belle-Mère in the back, causing the Akuma to stumble.

La Belle-Mère spun on her knee and swept the Fox heroine’s feet out from beneath her. ‘Pest.’ She shoved her hand into Rena Rouge’s chest.

The heroine screamed as a glowing heart was yanked out. She crawled back on all fours, staring at her exposed heart.

‘Rena Rouge,’ crooned La Belle-Mère into the heart, ‘distract Queen Bee.’

She set the heart on the ground and swept her train over it.

Inside the apple, Adrien and Marinette shrieked at the glowing red object which landed beside them.

‘Not happening! Not happening!’ yelled Adrien, jumping behind Marinette. Their stomachs lurched as La Belle-Mère jumped out the window and transformed into a peacock.

They travelled two blocks before the Scarlet Peacock hovered over the pavement and transformed back to La Belle-Mère. Her feet touched the pavement.

Pedestrians gasped and backed away.

‘Carapace! Surrender the fool and this will all be over.’

Carapace swore as people inadvertently made a direct path to him and Gabriel. Why did he have to be the one who saved and now protected Gabriel Fucking Agreste? Adrien owed him big time.

He pushed Gabriel deeper into the crowd.

La Belle-Mère paused as Rena Rouge dropped a battered Queen Bee in front of her. ‘Well done, little fox.’ She knelt and plunged her hand into Queen Bee’s chest.


	20. Le Paon Rouge

Queen Bee stared at the hand in her chest before staring back at La Belle-Mère. 

La Belle-Mère tilted her head. ‘Well, that answers that question.’ She removed her hand and spun it in a half circle.

A group of teenagers scrambled out of the way as metal railing shrieked and flew through the air. The metal wrapped around Queen Bee and fused to the wall.

‘Rena Rouge,’ said La Belle-Mère. ‘Hold out your flute.’ She waved her hand over it. ‘This is enchanted to remove one heart. Bring me Carapace.’

‘Yes, my queen.’ Rena Rouge sprinted after the Turtle.

Carapace shoved Gabriel away and threw up his shield. He stumbled backwards, his feet tangling with each other. ‘Rena, come on! Don’t do this!’

The flute locked against the shield. Their faces were an inch apart.

Carapace looked from the dead eyes of his girlfriend to the glowing apple in La Belle-Mère’s hand. ‘Sorry, babe.’

He shoved as hard as he could and threw his shell on the ground. He jumped on it and surfed through the crowd.

Metalwork flew at him. He ignored the beeping of his Miraculous and dodged the obstacles.

Le Paon Rouge flew into the sky.

Carapace scaled the wall to Queen Bee. ‘I’m about the transform back.’ He slammed the edge of his shield through the metal bars. He bent them enough for Queen Bee to crawl out of her tiny prison.

Blood trickled down her face. ‘I’ll—’ She coughed and held a hand to her side. ‘Be quick.’

Carapace ran down the street.

Queen Bee coughed into her hand. She grimaced at the bright red flecks.

Her miraculous beeped.

‘Come on, Pollen,’ she whispered.

Her battered wings struggled to fly. ‘Just get the thing’ she muttered, pumping her wings as hard as she could.

She landed in a heap in the street.

Her transformation fell away.

Pollen rolled limply into the gutter.

‘Chloe!’

She lifted her head and saw a familiar red-head running towards her. He pulled her from the street and to the pavement. He fumbled for his phone.

Chloe coughed, red flecks appearing on Nathaniel’s light-coloured trousers. ‘Brussels…idiot.’

‘I came back a day early—yes, hello!’ he said into the phone. He cradled Chloe with his free arm. ‘There’s an Akuma battle. I think my girlfriend has a broken rib and internal bleeding…’ His face turned as red as his hair. ‘I haven’t seen Ladybug anywhere and I’m not risking my girlfriend dying to wait for Ladybug to fix everything! Get an ambulance here!’

‘I love…you assertive.’ Chloe placed a hand on his knee and patted it weakly. Her head rested against Nathaniel’s chest.

Down the street, Rena Rouge pounced on Carapace. Her tail flashed above the crowd.

Carapace screamed.

Rena Rouge clambered over the buildings and darted after her mistress.

Nino stumbled towards them, his face ashen beneath his tan. ‘She has my heart.’ He removed the bracelet and forced it into Nathaniel’s hand. ‘Don’t let the Akuma win.’

‘I can’t leave Chloe!’ said Nathaniel.

‘I’ll wait with her.’

‘Go,’ whispered Chloe. ‘He’s right.’

‘Just…get my heart back, dude. And Alya’s. I don’t want the Heartless Queen of Hearts putting us in her collection.’

Nathaniel fastened the bracelet on.

Wayzz appeared and bowed. ‘We must get the apple in her hand. Only then can Ladybug and Chat Noir be freed.’ He accepted a warm but still edible leaf of lettuce from Nino and ate quickly.

A minute later, La Tortue Peinte scrambled across rooftops and after Rena Rouge.

They stopped at Notre Dame. Le Paon Rouge flew to the top of the West Towers before transforming back to La Belle-Mère.

She arched her neck and surveyed the city. A fireball appeared in her left hand.

Rena Rouge landed on the roof beside her.

La Tortue Peinte looked around. There were two of them, one of him, and both had terrifying powers.

He had no idea what he was doing.

His head bumped the edge of his shield as he looked straight up.

The pink outline of a butterfly appeared in front of La Belle-Mère’s face.

A car screeched to a stop behind La Tortue Peinte.

His mouth dropped open at the sight of a dishevelled Gabriel Agreste climbing out.

The designer clapped his hand over his mouth. ‘Oh, God. No.’

The butterfly disappeared from La Belle-Mère’s face. She threw the fireball into the wooden roof.

‘Oh, come on!’ La Tortue Peinte threw his shield on the ground. ‘Notre Dame has to burn on my first time!’

‘Ignore the fire,’ said Gabriel, his face becoming calm. ‘It’s an illusion.’

‘How do you know that?’

‘Because Nathalie is far too clever to do something as stupid as set fire to a piece of history.’ He grinned. ‘Oh, that is clever.’

‘Uh, what is?’

‘She’s forcing Rena Rouge to time out.’ He rubbed his hands together. ‘I always wondered what would happen if she was properly Akumatized.’

La Tortue Peinte gaped. ‘I’m sorry, did you say “properly”?’

‘Ladybug and Chat Noir are trapped in the apple. If you can break that, you’ll stop the Akuma and free them.’

‘No pressure,’ muttered La Tortue Peinte. He picked his shield up and ran up the steps of the West Towers.

The bells rang the hour, resonating through the stonework and into his ears.

‘They so owe me.’ He staggered through the door and onto the tower roof.

The flames from the fire had no heat and did not spread.

Rena Rouge’s Miraculous beeped one last time. She looked La Belle-Mère.

‘Inside,’ said La Belle-Mère. ‘Now.’

Rena Rouge sprinted into the stairwell. The detransforming light flashed before she had completely closed the door.

La Belle-Mère cocked her head. ‘You’re new. I’m impressed at Carapace finding a substitute so quickly.’

Hands resting on his knees, La Tortue Peinte gasped for air. He held up a hand. ‘I’ll fight you— _wheeze—_ in a minute.’

‘Do you need an inhaler?’

‘Just— _wheeze—_ might— _wheeze.._.’

La Belle-Mère walked closer. ‘Please don’t die on me. That would be most inconvenient. Farfallina is expecting to meet the Guardian.’

‘She’s in for a sur—’ He coughed. ‘A surprise.’

‘Mm, yes. Isn’t she?’

He looked up in La Belle-Mère’s satisfied grin. He swung his fist and connected with the glass apple. ‘Ow?’

‘It’s shatterproof.’ The Akuma’s eyebrows twitched.

‘What’s your Akuma name again?’

‘La Belle-Mère.’

‘Step-mother…’ La Tortue Peinte snapped his fingers. ‘Would it be okay if Adrien came out to play? And Marinette? I’ll have them back by ten tonight.’

‘Why?’

‘Because you’re a good mother, not an evil one.’ He motioned to the cathedral behind them. ‘You came to Notre Dame for a reason.’

La Belle-Mère waved her hand over the apple. She stepped aside, her train slipping away to reveal Marinette and Adrien.

They rolled to a sitting position.

‘Tikki, spots on!’

‘Plagg, claws out!’

Ladybug immediately threw her yoyo in the air. ‘Lucky Charm!’

‘Uptown version tonight, My Lady?’ said Chat Noir.

‘I’m on a deadline.’ She caught the Lucky Charm, a pair of familiar glasses. ‘You have _got_ to be joking. Chat?’

‘Yeah, yeah. I hear you.’ He extended his staff and slid down it to the street level.

Shouting came from the street level.

La Tortue Peinte held back a laugh as both La Belle-Mère and Ladybug rolled their eyes and tapped their feet in the exact same way. They even stood with their hands on their hips.

A pink butterfly outline appeared in front of La Belle-Mère’s face. She hissed. ‘Don’t insult me, child,’ she said in a low, dangerous voice. ‘You think I don’t have a plan?’

Ladybug edged over to La Tortue Peinte. ‘Get ready to call for Shelter.’

Chat Noir finally appeared over the edge, his face an exact replica of the disgust on his father’s face.

La Belle-Mère turned to the newcomers. ‘What have we learned?’

Chat Noir shoved Gabriel towards La Belle-Mère. ‘She’s talking to you.’

Gabriel said, ‘That I don’t appreciate you enough.’

Ladybug rolled her eyes even harder and made choking noises.

Chat Noir sat down, crossed his legs, and buried his face in his hands. ‘That’s it. Think carefully about you say next, or I’ll throw you off Notre Dame myself.’

‘Nathalie,’ said Gabriel, ‘you’re my rock.’

‘Do better.’

‘You’re the mother of my newest child and the—’ He swallowed. ‘The—’ He cleared his throat. ‘You’re the mother of my eldest.’

‘Was that so hard to say?’ said La Belle-Mère tauntingly.

‘Yes. I love you, and not just because you are the strongest woman I’ve ever met.’ Gabriel took La Belle-Mère’s hand and kissed her knuckles, moving up to her wrist. ‘I love you. Come home. Please?’

She tilted her face.

Their lips met.

La Belle-Mère’s fingers twisted in his hair.

As their kiss deepened, she tightened her fingers around the glass apple.

It shattered and melted into Gabriel’s chest.

He gasped and sank to his knees.

La Belle-Mère pulled an empty hand from Gabriel’s chest. The black bubbles swept over her.


	21. At Wit's End

Gabriel crumpled to his knees, his face ashen.

The black bubbles fell away from Nathalie.

Ladybug jumped and steadied Nathalie. The baby bump was back, bigger than ever after the extreme flatness of the Akuma’s costume. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Where are we?’ Nathalie blinked blindy. ‘Where are my glasses?’

Chat Noir put his ear to his father’s chest. ‘He’s going into cardiac arrest.’

‘Miraculous Ladybug!’

The red ladybugs washed over the city.

Gabriel continued to seize.

‘It didn’t work.’ Chat Noir grabbed his father and slid down to street level. ‘I need an ambulance!’

Ladybug sat back on her heels. ‘It didn’t work. Why didn’t it work?’

La Tortue Peinte said, ‘There’s always a couple of seconds between breaking the object and the Akuma flying out. The glass was crushed and entered his chest during those seconds. I saw the butterfly fly out of his chest. It’s a small loophole, but…’

The Miraculouses beeped.

‘If you’re right, then we have a bigger problem.’ Ladybug looked at Nathalie. ‘Does that sound like something you’d think of?’

Nathalie nodded. ‘I don’t remem—’ She coughed, struggling to breathe.

‘Get somewhere safe to transform,’ said Ladybug to La Tortue Peinte. ‘I’ll have the owner of the Miraculous pick it up later.’

‘Sounds good.’ He hesitated before entering the stairwell. ‘It was fun.’

‘You were super helpful. Now go! You’re down to three minutes.’

Ladybug scooped Nathalie up and took her to street level.

She saw Adrien climbing into an ambulance, his face ashen.

‘This woman needs help,’ said Ladybug. ‘Can you get her to the hospital ASAP?’

‘Do you know how far along she is?’ said the medic.

Ladybug hesitated. She could risk it. ‘About seven months.’

‘We’ll take care of her. Thank you, Ladybug.’

Ladybug found an alleyway to transform in before sprinting back out.

Paramedics were loading Nathalie into the back of the ambulance.

‘Wait! Stop!’ Marinette grabbed the door handle. ‘She’s my mother-in-law. Can I come with you?’

‘Jump in and stay out of the way.’

Marinette gnawed on a fingernail as they rode to the hospital.

Nurses whisked Nathalie away for treatment.

Marinette found Adrien sitting in the waiting area. 

She sat on the chair next to him and wrapped her arm around his.

He lay his head on her shoulder. His fingers played with hers.

Marinette texted her parents, updating them to the situation.

The Miraculous group chat exploded with messages.

There were eight missed calls, all from Alya.

Marinette called her.

Alya picked up the phone on the first ring. ‘Is she okay?’

‘She’s really out of it, but she’s been so sick this whole pregnancy. It’s hard to tell.’

‘Which hospital are you at? Nino and I are on our way.’

Marinette named a private hospital. ‘Are you and Nino okay?’

Alya made a noncommittal noise. ‘Shaken but okay.’

‘Can you grab something for Adrien? And the Kwamis.’

Adrien scrunched his nose at Marinette before closing his eyes again.

‘Sure thing.’

An hour later, Alya and Nino all but sprinted into the waiting room. They shoved two coffees into their friends’ hands.

Nino held up a bag of pastries. ‘Compliments of your parents. They said to call if they can help at all.’

‘Thanks.’ Marinette cradled the coffee and slipped a macaron into her purse. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘I’ll be honest,’ said Nino, ‘that was terrifying. I mean, what even were her powers?’

Adrien mumbled, ‘Whatever was convenient for the plot.’

Marinette rubbed the base of his neck. ‘It’s okay, kitty. It all worked out.’

‘Adrien Agreste?’ said a nurse.

He stood up, one arm wrapped around his waist, shoulders rounded.

The nurse walked over, a clipboard in her hand. ‘Your mother’s awake and asking for you.’

Adrien’s shoulders straightened and his face lit up. ‘She’s okay?’

The nurse’s face turned neutral. ‘She’s well enough. I’ll let the doctor decide if she’s “okay”. Looks like the pregnancy has been rough.’

His hair flopped as he nodded. ‘Can I see her?’

‘Follow me.’

Adrien followed the nurse.

Marinette followed Adrien.

Nino shoved a pastry in his mouth, and he and Alya followed their friends.

The nurse gave them a sceptical look. ‘I’m not sure…’

‘It’ll be fine,’ said Adrien with the confidence of someone used to getting his way based on name and money.

As soon as the nurse opened the door, Adrien bolted across the room and hugged his mother.

Nathalie automatically reached up and stroked his hair.

‘I’m sorry.’ Adrien sniffed as his tears soaked the shoulder of her hospital gown.

‘You didn’t do anything. It was a bubble which finally burst.’

He sat on a nearby chair and wiped his nose. ‘I shouldn’t have pushed the issue like that.’

Nathalie pushed the box of tissues into his hand. ‘It’s not your fault. Stop blaming yourself for your father's actions. Understand?’

Adrien nodded.

Marinette wrapped her arms around his shoulders, clasping them over his chest. ‘You were intense.’

‘Should I be proud of that?’ Nathalie winced at the Heroes’ flinches. ‘Sorry.’

‘Do you remember anything?’ said Alya.

She shook her head. ‘What happened?’

They told her the story, taking turns based on what they had seen.

A nurse showed Chloe and Nathaniel into the private room when they were about halfway through. The blonde walked with an arm wrapped around her ribs.

‘What happened?’ said Marinette.

Chloe waved her hand. ‘I’m fine. It’s all healed.’ She raised an eyebrow at Nathalie. ‘You really had a lot of rage saved up.’

Nathalie gave her a wry smile. ‘Are you surprised?’

Chloe held her frown for a moment longer before laughing. ‘I expect nothing less. Honestly, surprised you didn’t turn into one of those fire monsters.’

‘Those would have been preferable.’ Alya shuddered. ‘I don’t ever want to feel someone rooting around in my chest cavity again.’

‘Yeah, that was really weird.’

Nathalie frowned as they finished the sequence of events. Her hand remained on Adrien’s. ‘Where is Gabriel now?’

‘Hopefully—’ Nino yelped as Alya pinched the inside of his arm.

‘They’re still operating on him,’ said Adrien. ‘They promised to tell me as soon as they had him stabilized.’

‘Considering the amount of glass they have to dig out of his chest cavity, they’re going to be in there for a while,’ said Nathaniel. ‘You made the pieces pretty small.’

Marinette played with a strand of hair, her eyes fixed on something outside the window.

‘What are you thinking about, Mar?’ said Alya.

‘Hm?’ Marinette looked up. ‘Oh, um, well.’ She looked at her mother-in-law. ‘So far, you’re the only Akuma Farfallina hasn’t killed or at least tried to kill.’

‘She used me as an assassin.’

‘And gave you very specific powers and parameters.’ She continued playing with the loose strand of hair. ‘I wish there was a way to know what was said between you and Farfallina.’

Nathaniel said, ‘There was a point when you told Farfallina to shut up, that you had a plan. And you forced Rena Rouge to time out when she caused the illusion of Notre Dame burning.’

‘So even though I was under Farfallina’s sway—’

‘You were still operating independently,’ said Marinette. ‘That’s really different.’

A sharp rap sounded on the door.

The nurse poked her head in. ‘Mr Agreste, the doctor wants to speak with you.’

Adrien stood up wearily.

Everyone filed out.

Except Nathaniel.

He went to the bed and said, ‘I have a question.’

‘What is it?’

‘Gabriel said something about how you would be if Akumatized “properly”.’ He put air quotes around the word. ‘Can you elaborate on that?’

Nathalie looked at her hands, spread out over the blanket. ‘I was Akumatized on Heroes’ Day.’

‘How did he get you to have an emotional outburst?’

She chewed on the inside of her cheek. ‘He didn’t. I convinced Gabriel to let me help him.’

‘That’s cold.’

Her face became even more pinched. ‘Please don’t tell Adrien or any of the others.’

He studied the collarbone protruding beneath her skin, the way her wedding ring slid loosely on her finger. ‘I won’t volunteer the information.’

‘Thank you.’ Nathalie’s shoulders tensed as she looked at the door. ‘Go ahead and find out what my sentence is.’

‘I think you can guess.’

Nathaniel slipped out of the room and joined his friends in the corridor.

‘…I’m sorry I can’t give you better news,’ said the doctor.

Adrien nodded. ‘It’ll be okay. She can handle two months of bed rest.’

Alya whispered to Nino, ‘Can she, though?’

‘That’s the real question.’ Nino’s face lit up.

‘What?’

‘Can Gabriel handle being cooped up with her for that long?’

‘Oh, that is _wicked_.’

‘Just dancing through life.’

Adrien asked the doctor, ‘Is there an update on my father at all?’

‘Still in surgery. They’ll let you know as soon as there’s anything to know.’

He nodded and stared at the floor.

‘Hey, everything’s going to be okay,’ said Nino, putting a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

Adrien nodded blankly. ‘I’m going to the café.’ He looked at his friends and faked a smile. ‘I need something more substantial than pastries. Does anyone want anything?’

Everyone shook their heads.

Chloe grabbed her bag and tossed it over her shoulder. ‘I’m coming with you.’

‘Thanks.’

The two disappeared down the corridor.

Marinette sat down. She picked up a wallet from the chair next to her. ‘Hey, Nino, will you run this to him?’

‘Sure thing.’ He trotted through the hospital and made for the café next door.

When he looked through the windows, they were nowhere to be seen.

Nino’s shoulders slumped. ‘Shit.’

He walked up and down the street, looking down alleys and into the small parks.

He found them in the second park, perched on a bench. ‘Really?’

Adrien exhaled a cloud of cigarette smoke. ‘Yeah, really.’

Chloe raised an eyebrow. Smoke curled upwards from the cigarette in her hand.

‘I thought you quit,’ said Nino to the heiress.

‘I only smoke when other people are.’ Chloe delicately tapped the ash from the end of her cigarette.

Adrien’s eyes were watering. ‘It’s been a bad couple of weeks.’ He coughed.

Nino fiddled with his hat. ‘Marinette is going to murder you.’

‘Please don’t tell her.’

Chloe snorted. ‘You really think she isn’t going to smell it on you?’

Nino crossed his arms. ‘Are those from your own supply, or did you bum one off of Chloe?’

‘What do you think?’ Chloe pulled the monogrammed cigarette case from her bag. ‘Want one?’

He stared at the neatly organized cigarettes, seriously considering the offer. ‘I’ll pass. I don’t want to sleep on the couch again.’

Chloe smirked. ‘Alya’s a cruel mistress?’

‘And more than fair.’ Nino shivered and shoved his hands in his pockets. ‘Come on, do you have to do this?’

Adrien took a draw on his cigarette. He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I don’t know what to do. I’m completely out of my depth.’

‘Sitting in a park during the dead of February without a coat isn’t going to help.’ Nino looked at Chloe. ‘Any reason he brought you along?’

‘I’m just amoral support.’ Chloe stubbed her half-smoked cigarette out. ‘Although I do draw the line at encouraging day drinking. This was miles better than having to fish him out of a bar. Think of the PR nightmare!’

Nino’s face contorted at having to agree with her.

‘Chloe helped me sort through everything when at school.’ Adrien dragged his shoes along the packed dirt under his feet. ‘I didn’t want to have a panic attack in front of Marinette or anyone else. I mean, what if my dad dies now?’

Privately, Nino figured Murder by Wife #2 was almost good enough for Gabriel Himself. What he said was, ‘We’ll make sure Jagged Stone throws a proper funeral for him.’

Adrien laughed. ‘My father would hate that.’

‘I know.’

Adrien was on his third cigarette when Nino’s phone rang.

‘Where are you at?’ said Alya.

‘We stopped at a park to talk. Adrien almost had another panic attack.’

‘Poor guy. Listen, Marinette wantsto talk. She has some ideas.’

Faintly, Marinette said, ‘And I’m starving.’

Nino paced on the grass. ‘Any word from the doctors?’

‘Not yet. They’re going to keep Nathalie overnight, so that’s off our shoulders.’

‘Unless Farfallina strikes again.’ Nino blew on his chilled fingers. ‘We’ll be there in a minute.’

Nino hung up and went back to the two sitting on the bench. ‘Okay, time to head back.’

Adrien ground the cigarette out beneath his heel and shoved his hands into his pockets. ‘Perfect; I’m freezing.’

Chloe snorted. ‘You were the one who wanted to sit out here with no coat.’

‘She’s right,’ said Plagg, crawling out of Adrien’s shirt pocket. ‘And I’m starving!’

They appeased the Kwami with a piece of cheddar from a sandwich at the café.

Marinette, Alya, and Nathaniel huddled by the Agreste car down the street from the hospital.

Marinette coughed at the smell of smoke. ‘Really? I thought you’d kicked the habit.’

Adrien shoved his hands deeper into his pocket. ‘It’s stress.’

Alya said, ‘Nino, you think Farfallina is going to strike again? Like, today even?’

He nodded. ‘Think about it. She’s targeting Gabriel specifically. And it’s got to be someone who knows the family. Have we ever seen an Akuma with complete autonomy?’

‘Possibly one or two,’ said Marinette. ‘But this was someone wanting a specific result.’

‘Nathalie definitely had it out for Gabriel Fucking Agreste.’

‘Can you call my dad something else?’ said Adrien.

‘Fine. Self-proclaimed Lord and Master of the Universe, Gabriel Agreste—’

Marinette groaned. ‘Have we seen anything to contest the idea that it might be Lila?’

Even Alya couldn’t think of a defence.

Nathaniel said, ‘It has the quasi-subtly of her attacks at school.’ He fiddled with a pencil fished from his pocket. ‘I mean, Lila was sneaky but she wasn’t any good when outright confronted.’

Nino stroked the beginnings of a moustache. ‘Then we need to confront her.’

‘You can’t just go in and confront her,’ said Alya. ‘That’s opening a case for libel and harassment.’

‘We have to do something! We can’t let her jerk us around anymore.’

Nino tapped his nose. ‘What if…?’

They all looked at him.

‘What if someone is working with her?’ said Chloe.

‘Like a sidekick?’ said Alya, rubbing her arm.

‘Or someone manipulating her. Lila’s clever but she can’t plan worth a damn.’ Chloe crossed her arms and bumped Nathaniel’s shoulder with hers.

‘And that’s the biggest problem.’ Marinette pulled at her bun. ‘We have no idea as to a potential motive. She’s never asked for our Miraculouses or made demands.’

Everyone jumped when Adrien said, ‘All we know is that it’s someone with a grudge against us.’ He licked his lips. ‘A grudge against my father. Someone who knows Hawkmoth’s identity.’

‘And is willing to kill to show their conviction,’ said Chloe.

Adrien fiddled with his wedding band.

‘What are you thinking?’ said Alya.

‘I need to make sure it isn’t my mom.’

‘What?’

‘How?’

‘You’re not serious!’

Chloe stood up. ‘Adrikins, I love you dearly, but it is not your mother. Emilie Agreste is long dead.’

‘I need to make sure.’ His fingers tapped anxiously against his leg. ‘She worked with the Miraculouses for years, had the book and access to everything.’ His breathing grew ragged.

Chloe pursed her lips. ‘Go home; get some sleep. We can discuss this more later.’

She grabbed Nathaniel’s hand and dragged him to the taxi stand.

Alya pushed Adrien into the waiting car.

Nino pulled Marinette aside. Quietly, he said, ‘I’m with you about it being Lila.’

Her exhaustion showed through. ‘I’m glad someone had my back.’

‘Yeah, well, she got Akumatized so many times…’ He turned up the collar of his coat.

‘What is it, Nino?’

Nino looked around.

Alya chatted with Adrien, leaning against the open car door.

The Gorilla’s thumbs tapped the steering wheel.

Nino said, ‘She was visiting Alya the night of the storm. Lila has a connection with the reporter who was Akumatized. I’m wondering if she’s getting information from them, even without them knowing it.’

‘And she was…’

‘What?’

Marinette’s eyes flicked up. ‘She was at the gala. Everything that’s happened has been related to what happened at the gala.’

‘Did a lot happen that night?’

‘Not really…and yet, yes. This changes everything.’ She glanced at their significant others. ‘Keep me informed. I don’t want to go behind their backs, but…’ She shrugged.

Nino hugged her tightly. ‘We’ll get this figured out.’

Marinette squeezed her eyes shut and leaned into the reassuring embrace. ‘Thanks. Have a good night.’


	22. Spring Cleaning

‘There.’ Gabriel set the paintbrush down and handed the stiff paper to Marinette.

She looked at the design, tilting it to catch the sunlight streaming through the window. ‘That’s it. That’s the Akuma’s exact design.’ She looked up. ‘Aren’t you worried about it being a little too similar to Eduardo Castro’s work on _Once Upon a Time_?’

‘Rule number one in the fashion world: Steal and steal freely. I found the Evil Queen’s wardrobe excellent inspiration.’ He took the design back and smiled fondly at it. His fingers curled over the finished work. ‘I’d love her to wear it for the closing showstopper at Fashion Week.’

Marinette perched on her father-in-law’s desk. ‘Maybe for Fall Fashion Week. My mom said that the longer you nurse, the bigger you stay up there and the more you lose elsewhere.’

Gabriel raised an eyebrow.

‘Wait,’ Marinette tilted her head, ‘you watched OUaT with Nathalie?’

‘Now that Nathalie’s on bedrest, I've been exposed to an exhausting amount of media.’ He put the picture on the desk and rubbed the area under his collarbone.

‘No messing with the stitches.’

‘We already have a nurse on call.’

‘As much as it pains me, I’m here doing the dutiful daughter part and making sure that you don’t do anything to stress Adrien out anymore. Or me. I found four grey hairs the morning after La Belle-Mère.’

‘Congratulations.’

‘Yeah, I call them Hawkmoth, Alya, Chat Noir, and Adrien.’

Gabriel chuckled and groaned. ‘Don’t make me laugh. It hurts too much.’

‘You deserve it. Okay, so you don’t deserve you Akumatized wife trying to kill you. But, well…’ Marinette shrugged. ‘You did push her to the point of not caring, which was really stupid.’

He looked over his glasses at her. ‘I assure you, I am doing my fair penance. Nathalie is on full bed rest with no coffee, no work, no unmonitored Wi-Fi access, and is only allowed to use the stairs twice a day. It has been actual hell.’

‘How long?’

‘Three days.’

Marinette sniggered before bursting into laughter. She laughed until she almost fell off the desk. ‘Best…day…ever!’ She wheezed, holding her side. ‘I could not have asked for a better penance for you.’ A fresh wave of laughter threatened to spill forth. ‘And you have another eight weeks of this.’

‘Don’t remind me.’

‘Oh, I will.’ Marinette’s eyes danced. ‘I will be your official reminder of how long you and Nathalie are locked up together without being allowed to do anything strenuous.’

A fresh gleam entered her eye. ‘Ooh.’

‘What?’

‘You have to be _really_ nice to everyone now or else we’ll leave the two of you alone with no one but the hired help to break up the monotony. No Adrien, no Kwamis, no anything or anyone.’

‘Nathalie is allowed to meet with her assistant and sign off on payroll.’

‘Right, because that’s going to relieve tension. Sebastian will come, what? Twenty minutes once every two weeks?’

Gabriel pinned the artwork to a board and slid it to Marinette. ‘Here, take that to her, will you?’

‘Is she tired of seeing you already?’

‘Extremely.’

Marinette picked up the design. ‘On a serious note, were the doctors able to find out why she keeps losing weight?’

‘They suspect hyperemesis gravidarum.’

‘What’s that when it’s at home?’

‘More or less, it’s morning sickness that doesn’t end, hence why the doctors tested so long before she took the pregnancy test.’

Marinette thought for a moment. ‘Isn’t that what Princess Kate in England has?’

‘Perhaps. I don’t follow celebrity gossip.’

‘Right.’ Marinette fiddled with her necklace before saying, ‘Will she be okay?’

‘Will she be okay?’

Gabriel bowed his head. ‘She has to.’

Marinette slipped through the door and went upstairs.

The mansion felt less quiet. The rumble of voices and the smell of fresh paint drifted down the corridor from the new nursery.

A private nurse smiled at Marinette as they passed each other.

Marinette knocked on the door. ‘Nathalie?’ She pushed the door open and poked her head in.

Nathalie put her book down. ‘Have you come to rescue me from my boredom, Ladybug?’

‘Sort of. I have a dress sketch for you.’ Marinette sat in a corner of the king-sized bed and handed over the design.

As Nathalie looked, Marinette grabbed the book and read the back. ‘I never thought you’d be one for reading historical-fiction.’

‘It’s the second in a series of cosy mysteries. The protagonists are intelligent and engaging enough.’ Nathalie looked up from the dress design. ‘Is that what the Akuma wore?’

‘Mmhm.’ Marinette put the book down.

‘No wonder Gabriel has been so affectionate; practically amorous.’  

‘You looked fabulous. Alya and Chloe are fighting over who gets to order one in their preferred colours first. I’m thinking of risking my friendship with both of them and making my own for Halloween.’

‘I’m sure that’ll cause no end of gossip: Adrien’s wife dressing up as his Akumatized step-mother.’

‘Can’t be any worse than when I wore one of Emilie’s originals for our first official outing as a couple.’

‘That was Wimbledon, four years ago?’ Nathalie handed the design back to Marinette. ‘I look forward to seeing the dress realised.’

Marinette set the board on the bed and crossed her legs. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Tired. Angry. Frustrated.’ Nathalie attempted a smile and failed. ‘The doctor’s prognosis was unsettling.’

Tikki hovered over Nathalie’s belly. ‘If you want, it’s perfectly safe for me to phase into you and check on the baby.’  She blinked her large blue eyes. ‘I’m sure a visit from the Kwami of Creation won’t hurt.’

‘Tikki!' said Marinette. 'We talked about this!’

‘You may check on the baby,’ said Nathalie.

The Ladybug Kwami squealed and spun in a circle. ‘Do you have a name yet?’

Nathalie shook her head, a trace of a smile on her face.

‘All the better.’ Tikki disappeared into the belly.

Nathalie looked up from her belly and burst into laughter at Marinette’s look of horror. ‘I take it she’s never phased through you before?’

‘Uhhurghr—no. She asked as soon as I knew about my…’ Marinette rubbed her hands anxiously. ‘How are you so chill with that?’

‘Plagg’s obsessed with the baby and put his request in three weeks ago.’

‘Were you so quick to say yes then? I mean, aren’t you worried about cheese getting stuck somewhere?’

‘I was so tired and depressed at that point that I couldn’t be bothered.’ Nathalie’s smiled. ‘And despite not being a full cat, Plagg is cat enough that his presence is comforting.’

‘Plagg? Comforting?’

‘His sarcasm is a balm in a world of saccharine sweetness.’

Tikki appeared, a grin on her face. ‘This is amazing! I know you only used Dusuu a couple of times, but it’s amazing to see a Miraculous baby after so many years!’ She flew around the room rapidly before landing on the bed. ‘She’s complaining about the caffeine withdrawals and wants to know if you can wait to do any big jumping motions until she’s a little bigger.’

‘I’m with her on the caffeine. But we will wait until well after she’s born to consider jumping off of buildings again.’

‘Do you want me to tell her?’ Tikki fluttered her eyelashes.

‘I think she already heard. All my research indicates that she should be learning my voice by now.’

Tikki giggled behind her paws.

‘Tikki,’ said Marinette, ‘was Adrien a Miraculous baby?’

Tikki shook her head. ‘Gabriel didn’t use the Miraculous until after Emilie fell into a coma. But this is new and different! I don’t remember ever hearing of a Peafowl and a Butterfly.’ Tikki rubbed her chin and giggled. ‘She’ll probably have large amounts of empathy.’

‘Poor baby.’ Nathalie placed a hand on her bump. ‘So many emotions.’

Marinette said, ‘Considering how you have no emotions—’

‘And Gabriel has too many?’

Tikki nodded.

‘Maybe you’ll balance each other out and the baby will be normal,’ said Marinette.

‘Perfectly balanced as far as emotions go? Not the worst lot in life.’

Footsteps echoed on the staircase. The door opened.

Adrien stumbled through and collapsed on the bed. He immediately lay his head against Nathalie’s belly, careful not to put any pressure on it. ‘Hey, lil sis,’ he said. ‘How are you feeling today?’

Plagg phased through the belly.

‘Ugh.’ Marinette shuddered.

Adrien sat up. ‘How are you today?’

‘About to climb the walls,' said Nathalie. 'How was your day?’

‘Busy.’ He fell back onto the bed. ‘I helped catalogue old archives. It was fascinating but exhausting.’ He nudged Marinette. ‘There was a lot in there that I think you’ll enjoy.’

‘And what hoops do I have to get through to get to them?’

‘A lot.’

Plagg reappeared. ‘She’s begging for coffee and wants to know if you’re going to do anymore jumping around.’

‘I already told her that,’ said Tikki.

Plagg stuck his tongue out. ‘But did you mention that Little Chick wants her to stop whatever’s making her stressed?’

‘Yeah, that’s not going to happen,’ said Nathalie, climbing off the bed.

The nurse knocked on the door before poking her head in. ‘Ms Sanceour, Miss Rolling is here to see you.’

‘Show her in.’  

Penny pushed past the nurse and hugged her friend. She set a large bouquet of flowers on the table. ‘You look like hell.’

‘Been there already. Twice.’

Penny said, ‘Twice? You’re forgetting Alexandria 2007.’

‘Alexandria wasn’t that bad!’

‘Alexandria, Egypt?’ said Marinette.

Penny said, ‘Sorry, classified.’

‘Classified?’ Marinette’s eyebrows disappeared behind her bangs.

Penny rolled her shoulders. ‘Ready to exorcise this ghost?’

Adrien edged off the bed. ‘I’ll leave you ladies to be.’

‘Where are you going?’ said Marinette.

‘If they’re getting up to shenanigans and Ramona isn’t here, I don’t want to be anywhere near here.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Ramona is ninety percent of their impulse control. Things get wild.’

Marinette looked at the two assistants, the epitome of order. ‘Those two? Wild?’

Adrien nodded and scurried out the door.

‘Marinette?’ said Nathalie. ‘With us, please.’

Marinette followed Nathalie and Penny to the original master suite.  

Nathalie selected a key from the ring and inserted it into the lock.

The door opened gently on its hinges. The smell of stale perfume rushed to greet them.

Marinette hesitated before following the other women inside.

Penny flicked on a light. She and Marinette stared.

‘Wow,’ whispered Penny.

‘I know.’ A melancholy smile crossed Nathalie’s features. ‘I couldn't believe it when I first started working here. I thought it was the most beautiful room I’ve ever seen.’

Marinette gulped. ‘It’s her. The blues and greens…her perfume.’

‘She had it specially made.’ Nathalie walked over to the dressing table and looked at the silver toiletry set. ‘Nothing but the best for her.’ She ran a finger over the marble top of the vanity. No dust.

Marinette opened the doors to the first closet. A barrage of colours assaulted her. The smell of Emilie’s perfume and a hint of cedar filled her nose.

‘You’re ready to do this?’ said Penny. She removed her jacket and rolled up her sleeves.  

Nathalie ran her finger over a custom-made dress, a simple design of costly fabric. ‘I have the energy and the will right now.’ She put the dress back.

‘Is it safe for you?’ said Marinette.

‘It’ll be fine,’ said Penny. ‘We’ll be doing enough of the heavy lifting.’ She picked up a dress encrusted with semi-precious stones and embroidery. ‘Such as it is.’

‘Marinette needs to be careful as well,’ said Nathalie.

Marinette rolled her eyes. ‘I’m a lot healthier than you are, and I have the Kwami of Creation watching my back. I think I’ll be fine.’

Penny raised an eyebrow. ‘Something you’d like to share, Marinette?’

She fiddled with the hem of her shirt. ‘I’m pregnant; almost at three months.’

Penny grinned. ‘My, my, the Agreste men have been busy. Congratulations. Jagged will be over the moon.’

Marinette blushed.  

Nathalie sat on a velvet-covered chaise lounge. ‘All right, ladies. Let’s see what we have in here.’

‘Sure you don’t want to burn it?’ said Penny mischievously.

‘I would if I could.’

Marinette sneezed. ‘There’s enough residual perfume to do that.’

Nathalie smiled. ‘I don’t hate her enough for so much history to be lost forever.’

Millions of euros worth of clothing emerged. Shoes and accessories had their own closets on the other side of the room.

Marinette tried not to stare too much. To touch so many creations, most of which were specially made, was more than a dream come true. It was intoxicating.

Penny pulled out a skirt suit in the Dior New Look style. She frowned and looked through the garment’s lining. ‘Nath, this is an original.’

Nathalie looked at the garment. ‘That definitely needs to go to a museum.’

Penny’s hands smoothed out a label and stilled. ‘It says “Emilie Sannom,’ she looked up at her friend, ‘nineteen forty-seven.’

An embroidered jacket slipped from Marinette’s hands. ‘How old _was_ she?’

‘Old enough,’ said Nathalie. She pursed her lips. ‘Set it aside for now. Even with the pun for a last name, there’s no guarantee people won’t wonder.’

They worked in silence for the next thirty minutes.

Marinette thought she could almost see the back of the closet. At this rate, she’d be lucky to avoid finding a faun and a witch.

A pop of orange cut through the greens, blues, and purples.

She pulled out a dress in a style from five or six years ago. She checked the label. Sure enough, gold stitching spelled out _Gabriel_ , a black butterfly stamped into the corner.

Marinette looked over the rest of seams.

There, sewn beneath the left armhole, was a second label: _Custom made for Lila Rossi, 2017._

She climbed out of the closet, tripping over a pile of hangers. She held out the dress. ‘Care to explain?’ 

Nathalie’s face flushed. She hissed through her teeth. ‘That bastard.’ She struggled to her feet.

Penny turned the dress over. ‘It’s too recent to have been Emilie’s.’

‘It’s not Emilie’s.’ Nathalie rubbed the fabric between her fingers. ‘I remember ordering this fabric. I didn’t know it was for her.’

‘Who?’

‘Lila Rossi.’ Nathalie looked from the fabric to her friend. ‘Remember the night I called you, absolutely certain that I was going to be fired?’

‘Which time?’ said Penny drily.

‘I think it was the day the Tsurugi girl was Akumatized.’ Nathalie looked at the dress. ‘Gabriel hated Lila, absolutely hated her.’ A wry smile drifted across her face. ‘Too much like Emilie. But she was useful for the creation of Akumas. And he was so very desperate.’

‘Lila knew his identity this whole time?’ said Marinette.

Nathalie nodded. ‘That’s when I became truly scared. He allied himself with someone over whom he had no power. And she used it for all it was worth.’

Marinette said, ‘I’m sorry. I need to go.’

She ran out the door.

Tikki floated beside her. ‘This is what you’ve been waiting for!’

‘And worried about.’ Marinette ran to the office.

Adrien and his father looked up.

Marinette stiffened, simultaneously awkward and furious. How had she not noticed the increasing guilt in Gabriel’s actions, his pliability? The man was never nice unless he wanted something, and even then…

The memory of Style Queen turning Adrien to golden glitter, his still form blown away piece by piece by the breeze, filled her mind.

She ground her teeth and threw the dress into Gabriel’s lap. ‘Lila Rossi,’ she spat.

Gabriel winced at seeing the dress. ‘Yes.’

‘You knew this whole time?’

‘I strongly—’

Marinette held up a finger. ‘Don’t lie to me.’ Her eyes narrowed. ‘You knew this whole time.’

Adrien scrambled to his feet. ‘What are you talking about? What does the dress have to do with anything?’

‘It was custom made for Lila. The tag says 2017. Your father only creates custom items when he’s extremely well paid or when he cares deeply for someone.’

‘She was a means to an end.’ Gabriel’s lips formed a thin line. His eyes flicked to his son. 'It was to get your mother back.' 

Adrien looked in horror at his father. ‘She’s our age! No wonder she came on to you so hard at the gala! You have a history.’

Gabriel looked appalled. ‘Not that sort of a history.’ He coughed. ‘But I did use her to manipulate Akumas. I directly approached her concerning her assistance in creating them.’

Marinette’s hands curled into fists.

‘We’re leaving,’ said Adrien.

‘Adr—’

‘Don’t.’ Adrien stalked out of the room and slammed the door shut.

Marinette said, ‘We’ll call you.’

She left the door open.

Adrien yanked his coat on and handed Marinette’s to hers.

Marinette sent out a group text: _Meeting at mine, 19:30._


	23. Time to Suit Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little sass and a pinch of gallows humour helps the planning go down.

Marinette’s fingers drummed on her hip as she faced her friends. ‘It’s Lila. Gabriel confessed this afternoon.’

Nino’s jaw worked. ‘And he knew this whole time?’

‘Mmhm.’

He pulled out his phone.

‘What are you doing, babe?’ said Alya.

‘Setting a calendar reminder to kick his ass as soon as we’ve taken care of Lila.’

‘Lila knew about Hawkmoth’s identity,’ said Chloe, running a polished nail along her lower lip. ‘That explains how she was able to master the Miraculous so quickly.’

Alya’s finger traced the rim of her glass. ‘No wonder she’s so aggressive around him. She knows how major the dirt she has on him is.’

‘If nothing else, she could drag up some excuse about corruption of a minor,’ said Chloe. ‘That alone would cause big problems, even if just a divorce.’

Marinette sat on a stack of pillows. ‘According to their prenuptial, the wronged party gets an extremely favourable settlement in event of infidelity.’

‘How do you know that?’

‘The lawyer mentioned something about it when drawing up Adrien’s and my prenuptial.’

‘Speaking of Adrien,’ said Chloe. ‘I have one question: Why is he on the balcony?’

Everyone looked at the sliding glass window.

Adrien paced back and forth, not unlike a large jungle cat. Plagg hovered inside the glass, looking disappointedly at his kitten. A full ashtray spoke to the level of his stress.

‘He can come in when he stops smoking like a Victorian train.’ Marinette blew a kiss at her husband.

He pouted before taking another puff on his cigarette.

‘Is it really fair to punish him for his stress?’ said Alya.

Marinette pulled at her bun. ‘When it can potentially ruin my health, yes. Once he finds a different, _healthier_ means of coping, he’s more than welcome to become an indoor cat again.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘I can still smell it through the glass, so he’s lucky I haven’t kicked him out for good.’

Alya rubbed her hands on her legs. ‘I’m sorry for not believing you about Lila.’ She crawled across the floor and hugged her friend. ‘The timing makes sense, and now that we know what we do…’

Marinette returned the hug. ‘It’s okay. She’s your friend, too.’

‘Maybe.’ Alya left her head on Marinette’s shoulder. ‘It seems obvious now.’  

‘Hindsight is 20/20.’

‘Except…’ Chloe’s manicured fingers drummed on the table. ‘Except that all of the major Akumas have been directly related to the gala. For example, Miguel was the one who called Gabriel a Patriarch, and the peacock design on La Belle-Mère/ Le Paon Rouge is a fusion of the _Le Paon Noir_ dress and Adrien invoking the Mom-code to get away from Lila.’

‘So we have to catch her.’ Nino opened a bottle of water. ‘Should we just approach her or lure her in as Farfallina.’

‘Remember how difficult it was to lure Hawkmoth out?’

‘Good point. Her civilian self it is.’ 

Adrien slipped inside and sat on the floor next to the window. His fingers drummed on his knees.

Chloe said, ‘And how exactly are we supposed to approach Lila about this? Neither your alter egos nor your civilian selves can exactly waltz up to her residence.’

‘What about you?’ said Alya. ‘You always seemed like some sort of conquest for her.’

Chloe rolled her eyes. ‘I hate that bitch more than life itself.’

‘Something involving Sabrina, right?’ said Adrien.

Chloe nodded, a look of exasperated martyrdom on her face.

Alya raised an eyebrow.

Chloe motioned the two girls over and whispered in their ears.

A grin spread over Marinette’s face, extending nearly to her ears. ‘Oh, that’s tacky. That’s really tacky. Even for Sabrina. No wonder she went to Georgetown University.’

‘What happened?’ said Nino.

‘Nothing you need to concern yourself with, dear,’ said Alya. ‘But if Lila knows everyone’s identities then none of us are an option.’

‘What about Gabriel?’ said Marinette.

Adrien looked up from the floor. ‘What do you mean?’

‘She’s been all over your dad since the gala. It’s like watching someone pour melted chocolate on a cake.’

Adrien looked physically ill.

‘She’s not wrong,’ said Chloe.

Nino gave his friend a sympathetic look. ‘Tell her that the company is looking for a new face for a line of women’s perfume or something.’

‘And she’ll believe that?’

‘Or,’ said Marinette, ‘keep it vague, implying that Gabriel wants to team up to take the Miraculouses.’

‘I guess that’ll work.’ 

‘She’s a narcissist,’ said Chloe. ‘She’ll come. Especially if the wording is ambiguous enough that she think she might have a chance at getting even more power over your father.’

Tikki giggled. ‘So you’re saying that Gabriel is the sacrificial lamb?’

‘I’m good with that,’ said Plagg.  

The Kwami and Nino high-fived.

Wayzz shook his head.

‘What about a Plan C?’ said Adrien. ‘Is there a version that doesn’t involve my parents?’

‘Technically this would be Plan G,’ said Marinette. ‘And I think they all involve your dad at this point.’

Alya rolled onto her stomach and propped her chin up with her fists. ‘How many do we have now? Are we at plan M yet?’

‘Yeah, but Gabriel dies in Plan M.’

Nino perked up. ‘I like Plan M.’

‘Dude!’ said Adrien.

Chloe casually high-fived Nino.

Alya rolled onto her back and covered her face with a pillow. ‘Thmpif fluw wwdfklth!’

Marinette ripped the pillow away and tucked it behind her back. ‘Say again?’

‘This is the worst.’ Alya stared at the ceiling. ‘How are we going to contact her?’

‘Nathalie will help. She hates Lila.’

‘Surprise, surprise,’ murmured Chloe.

Alya laughed. ‘She probably has a list a mile long at this point. ‘

‘I’m sure she does,’ said Adrien. ‘Lila got her and the Gorilla in huge trouble a couple of times back when we were in school. They’d been with us long enough that I’d never thought to worry about their employment status until then.’

‘Yikes,’ said Nino. ‘And you still defended her? I mean, the Gorilla took an Akumatization for you.’

‘And a bullet in Capris,’ said Chloe.

‘What?’ shouted three voices.

Adrien blushed. ‘Um, yeah. That was before I met you all.’

‘We were six,’ said Chloe.

‘Who the _hell_ did your dad piss off?’ said Nino.

‘I think it was my mom’s fault that time.’ His hands stilled. ‘But yeah, definitely shouldn’t pretend that Lila isn’t an issue anymore. Sorry.’ 

Marinette crab-walked across the floor and rubbed his leg. ‘It’s what you grew up with.’

‘Thanks, My Lady.’

‘You still stink, though.’ She crab-walked back to her spot by Alya. ‘Who’s going to contact Lila?’

‘More importantly,’ said Adrien, ‘who’s going to tell Papapillon that he’s the bait?’

Everyone looked at Chloe.

She wrinkled her nose. ‘That goes against my moral compass.’

Nino pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed dramatically.

‘Your moral compass is a fucking roulette wheel,’ said Adrien. ‘People have actually gambled on it.’

Chloe smiled smugly. ‘Win a lot of money that way, especially during New Year’s.’ She pulled the pins from her chignon and pulled her hair loose. ‘Let’s make a deal: I’ll set things up with Lila if Marinette gets Hawk Daddy to agree to being the bait.’

Nino looked genuinely ill. ‘Please don’t ever say that word again.’

‘What, bait?’ She grinned.

‘Deal,’ said Marinette. ‘I think mine might be the easier one.’

Chloe said, ‘Just make sure you’re all ready to spring the trap.’

‘Don’t worry,’ said Alya. ‘We will.’

Adrien stretched. ‘Just one request.’

‘What’s that?’ said Nino.

‘If I die, donate all of my organs except for my middle finger.’

Chloe raised an eyebrow.

‘Send that to my father.’

Nino fell off the couch from laughing.

 

 

Marinette sat on the floor of the darkened kitchen and stared at her toes. One hand pressed against her stomach. Her trousers were growing tight already. Undoing the top button had been a relief.

She could hear Adrien in the shower, scrubbing away the cigarette smell. Hopefully.

Tikki perched on her knee. ‘What’s wrong, Marinette?’

Marinette pulled her knees to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. ‘I’m worried. There’s so much that can go wrong with this trap.’

Tikki smiled encouragingly. ‘You’ll do just fine. You only lost to Hawkmoth on Heroes’ Day because he had help that you didn’t know about.’

Plagg floated above the sink, devouring a piece of cheddar. ‘Do you think Lila has help? It’d be the logical course of action.’

‘She’d hate sharing any of the credit,’ said Marinette.

The shower turned off.

She looked at the door to the bedroom. ‘Plagg? Should Adrien be making such macabre jokes?’

Plagg shrugged. ‘Gallows humour is as old as the sun.’

‘I know, but his comment about his father…’ She shivered.

Plagg flew over and wiped at the tears on Marinette’s face. ‘He’s run out of patience and now has to handle the realisation of all the pain he underwent as a kid.’ His whiskers drooped. ‘I don’t think he told you, but he’s started remembering stuff from before his mom left. He’s going to need a lot of therapy when this is over.’

‘I can handle it.’ Marinette’s thumb made circles on her arm. ‘I have Maman and Papa and all our friends to help.’

A beam of light cut through the kitchen.

Adrien stepped out, towelling his hair dry. ‘What are you doing in the dark?’

‘Thinking.’

He sat down next to her, their backs to the oven. He put an arm around her.

She snuggled close and closed her eyes. ‘You smell better.’

‘I’m sorry about the smoking. I just…’

‘I know.’ Her thumb traced slow circles over his ribs. ‘Doesn’t mean I have to like it.’

‘I know.’ Adrien put a hand on her belly. ‘How long until we feel anything?’

‘A couple more months, according to my app.’ She looked up at him. ‘Ready to meet Agreste Junior?’

‘You mean Dupain-Cheng Junior.’ He rubbed his forehead against hers. ‘And yes.’

‘You want the baby to take my name?’

He rubbed his forehead against hers. ‘The name ends with me. If any of this ever gets out, I don’t want the kids to suffer.’

‘You’re going to be a great father, _chaton._ And if you have any questions, my dad will be happy to help.’

Plagg coughed.

‘What?’

The Kwami pretended to study his claws. ‘I may know a thing or two about raising kittens.’

‘Or sixteen,’ said Tikki.

‘Why sixteen?’ said Marinette.

‘No reason.’

Marinette massaged the back of Adrien’s neck until he purred. The low rumble lulled her to sleep.

Once her hand slipped to the floor, Adrien scooped her up and carried her to bed. ‘Sweetheart, I’m going to take your bra and jeans off.’

Her head bobbed.

Adrien took the offending garments off before laying her gently on the bed. He tucked the duvet under her chin.

She murmured and curled around the new body pillow.  

Adrien sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her hair.

‘What’s the matter, kid?’ said Plagg.

Adrien looked at the Kwamis. ‘Whatever happens tomorrow, take care of her? Please?’

‘It’s going to be okay,’ said Tikki, nuzzling his cheek.

‘I know, but just in case.’

Plagg settled on Adrien’s shoulder. ‘We take care of our own. Marinette and little Emma don’t have to worry about anything.’

‘Plagg!’ hissed Tikki.

Adrien looked up sharply. ‘“Emma”?’

Tikki said, ‘That’s what Marinette said she wanted to name her daughter when she was first crushing on you.’

Adrien’s hand stilled. ‘No, not that name.’

Tikki floated to his face. She hugged his cheek. ‘What happened?’

He swiped at the tears on his face. ‘Memories. My mother…she wasn’t the angel I remembered, the one father and I pretended she was.’ He took a shaky breath. ‘I guess adulthood is losing your heroes.’

‘Be careful, Adrien,’ said Tikki. ‘Dark thoughts lead to dark actions.’

‘Is this where you tell me that monsters have nightmares too?’

Tikki clicked her tongue sympathetically.

Marinette stirred and rubbed Adrien’s fingers with hers. ‘ _Chaton_?’

‘Hm?’

She blinked sleepily. ‘You’re pretty.’

Adrien curled up around her. ‘I love you, My Lady.’

‘I love you, _minou_.’

He kissed her cheek. ‘No matter what, I will always love you.’

The Kwamis curled up on the headboard and watched over their Chosens.


	24. Taking a Stand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila's back and the Miraculous Five have a score to settle.

Chloe walked through the offices of Agreste Fashions and picked up Miriam’s desk phone. She punched in the number and waited for it to pick up.

‘Hello?’ said a nasally voice.

In a decent imitation of Miriam’s voice and accent, Chloe said, ‘Miss Rossi? This is Miriam Farah, Mr Agreste’s assistant.’

‘Oh, hi! Wow, what can I help Mr Agreste with?’

Chloe gagged silently before continuing with Miriam’s no-nonsense mannerisms. ‘Mr Agreste requested that I arrange a meeting between the two of you. Will you be available at 14:30 today? He said it was quite urgent.’

‘Oh, well, it’s quite sudden.’

‘Mr Agereste said that if you are unable to make today’s appointment, then the next available slot is two weeks from now.’

‘Hm, well, I guess I can make it today if it’s so important.’

‘Excellent. Mr Agreste will see you at 14:30 today at his home.’ Chloe hung up and saw Miriam staring at her.

‘Do I want to know?’ said the executive assistant.

Chloe shook her head. ‘Not really.’ She grabbed her bag and strode out of the building.

Outside, she slid her sunglasses onto her nose and strolled up the block.

The Agreste town car waited. She climbed in and handed Marinette the borrowed access card. ‘She’ll be there.’

‘Perfect.’ Marinette slipped her access card into her purse. ‘Arthur, take us to the mansion, please.’

The driver grunted and merged with traffic.

Chloe listened to Marinette’s fingers tap. ‘Stop that. You’re going to work yourself into a tizzy.’

‘We’ve only got one chance.’

‘A+ leadership, Dupain-Cheng. Stating the obvious always encourages the troops.’

‘A little less sarcasm, please.’

‘Or what?’

Marinette wrinkled her nose. ‘There’s always the duct tape in the emergency kit.’

Chloe’s eyebrows wriggled. ‘Why, Marinette! I didn’t know you felt that way! I’d be honoured.’

‘No! Ugh! Whyyyyyyyyyy?’

Chloe wriggled her shoulders. ‘Does Adrien know about your sentiments?’

Marinette pulled her jacket up to her chin. ‘Forget I said anything.’

‘No, I don’t think I’ll let that one slide. Far too juicy.’

The car pulled up in front of the mansion.

‘I’ll tell Nathaniel,’ muttered Marinette.

‘I dare you.’

Marinette groaned and let them in with her key and access code. They bypassed the office and went straight to Nathalie’s bedroom. ‘Hey, how’s it going?’

Nathalie threw her tablet onto the bed. ‘I’m playing Candy Crush, that’s how bored I am.’

Chloe plopped onto the bed. ‘Excellent. You’re more than available to help us.’

‘Oh?’

‘We’re going to end Lila once and for all.’

Nathalie leaned forward as best as she could. ‘Do share.’

Marinette said, ‘The end begins at 14:30 today. Think you can handle it?’

‘With pleasure.’

 

 

Gabriel squared his shoulders as the doorbell rang. ‘I’m not comfortable with this.’

Nathalie poured herself a cup of tea. ‘You made your bed, you can lie in it.’

‘We didn’t—we never—’

‘Doesn’t matter.’ She sipped her English Breakfast tea and sighed with relief. Caffeine. 

‘But why do the shutters have to be closed?’

‘What, scared of an Italian seeking vengeance?’ She chuckled at his discomfort and perched on a sofa in the corner by the door.

The office door opened, and Lila stepped in.

The Gorilla closed the door behind her.

‘Hi, Gabriel,’ said Lila. ‘Why is the house locked down?’

Remembering the script Nathalie had drilled him on, Gabriel said, ‘Ladybug and Chat Noir learned of my identity as Hawkmoth. I thought it best to be safe.’

A calculated look crossed her face. She shook it off and skipped over to him. In a flirtatious tone, she said, ‘I wondered when you would call. Bit risky letting your secretary call me, isn’t it?’

He glowered. ‘Some things are worth the risk.’

‘You flatter me,’ she said with a laugh.

‘We have an account to settle, Miss Rossi.’

Her eyes grew wide. ‘Oh?’

‘You said that as long as I didn’t tell anyone your identity that you would leave Adrien and Nathalie alone.’

Lila’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘Oops!’ She shrugged. ‘I lied.’

‘Do you ever tell the truth?’

‘Oh, my god! I lie all the time and yet you’re the one who decided to believe me!’ She tossed her hair over her shoulder. ‘Who’s the stupid one here?’  

‘You gave me a _beard!_ ’

She smiled. ‘You looked pretty sexy as far as Middle Eastern sheep herders go.’

‘Akumatizing Nathalie put her on bedrest! Do you know how many times I’ve had to dodge something flying at my head in the last four days?’

‘ _I_ didn’t make you do anything, Gabriel. _You_ made the decisions that led to this.’

‘You put my unborn child at risk.’

She shrugged one shoulder. ‘And? You don’t have the best record when it comes to caring for them anyways. May as well start early with this one.’

He ground his teeth.

‘When you were Hawkmoth, you were all for a partnership.’ Lila stood on her toes, leaning in until her lips were a half inch from Gabriel’s chin. ‘What changed?’

‘When I was Hawkmoth, I had a different set of priorities.’

She pouted. ‘Are you saying you’ve been domesticated?’

A slurping sound came from the sofa.

Lila started at the noise before glaring. ‘Do you mind?’

Nathalie set the cup in its saucer. ‘Considering this is the third time you’ve been sexually aggressive towards my husband in almost as many months, I do.’

The younger woman bared her teeth.

Nathalie narrowed her eyes and smiled. ‘Given that you are currently wielding a Miraculous, that I am currently thirty-two weeks pregnant, and that Gabriel is worse than useless in an emergency,’ she picked her cup, ‘I’ll have to settle for pettiness unbecoming my age.’ She slurped again.

‘Ugh!’ Lila stamped her foot and turned to Gabriel. ‘Can’t you make her stop? It’s totally ruining the mood.’

‘Nathalie has never done anything she didn’t want to do originally.’

‘Well, done, darling. Words of Affirmation.’

Gabriel gave her a bashful smile.

Lila gave them a disgusted look. ‘Really? You’re in couples counselling?’

‘In addition to sex therapy,’ said Nathalie cheerfully.

‘Ew! That’s like so gross! Old people having sex?’

Gabriel said, ‘Given the tales you’ve told in relation to your supposed adventures with Jagged Stone—’

Lila put a hand on Gabriel’s lips. ‘Stop talking. You did me several favours in allowing me to be a thorn in Ladybug’s side all those years ago. Now, I’m giving you a chance to help me destroy her once and for all. Just like old times.’

‘And what will you get from this—partnership?’

‘Nothing much, just a token, a trifle, really!’

‘Adrien’s voice?’ murmured Nathalie into her cup.

‘Shut up!’ Lila stomped over to Nathalie. ‘I should have removed the Akuma when you were in mid-flight.’

Nathalie set the cup and saucer on the sofa next to her. ‘You should have done a lot of things. But you didn’t.’

‘Cheap words from where you’re sitting.’

‘Would you prefer I stood?’

Lila screamed in frustration.

Gabriel said, ‘As I told you at the gala, Nathalie is formidable when challenged.’

‘That stupid gala. I shouldn’t have bothered. Although,’ Lila’s hips swayed as she turned around, ‘it was helpful in coming up with ideas for the Akumas.’

‘I thought Golden-Brown Snitch was stupid and pointless,’ said Nathalie.

‘Shut up!’

‘Or what?’ 

Lila planted her hands on her hips. ‘You can’t do anything without your tablet and his money to back you up,’ said the girl. She turned to Gabriel. ‘And there’s that baby you’re so worried about. I’m surprised it was able to handle one Akumatization. I wonder if it can handle a second one.’

Nathalie stood carefully and looked down her nose at the girl. ‘Don’t push your luck.’

‘Why, are you waiting for Ladybug and Chat Noir to save you?’ Lila laughed. ‘They won’t get here in time, no matter how hard you tr—’

Lila fell onto her backside, cradling her nose. Blood streamed into her hands. ‘You bitch!’

Nathalie shook her hand out. ‘That felt good.’

‘Nooroo! Dark wings rise!’

Purple light flashed.

Farfallina scrambled to her feet. ‘You’ll pay for that.’ She turned to Gabriel and flipped the cane in her hand. ‘And you! You let her do that!’ She struck him across the face with the knobbed end of the cane.

He staggered back.

A second blow sent him crumpling to the floor.

Nathalie ran for the security panel in the wall. She pressed her hand to the pad and punched in the security code.

A letter opener buried itself in the woodwork next to the panel.

She turned around. ‘That was foolish.’

Farfallina posed, hands on the cane. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea, Mrs Agreste. You see, Marinette and you have everything I want. And I’m going to make sure that you both pay for that.’ She stalked closer. ‘I’m going to take Adrien and Gabriel and that stupid baby that should never have happened.’

Nathalie laughed.

‘What? What did I miss?’

‘Everything. You really can’t plan worth a damn.’

Lila prepared to throw her cane.

‘Good luck catching us.’ Nathalie yanked the letter opener from the wall and pressed the button to release the metal shutters.

Glass shattered as the Miraculous Five burst through the windows. They circled around Farfallina.

‘This ends now, Farfallina,’ said Ladybug, yoyo at the ready. ‘Surrender your Miraculous and answer for your crimes.’

Farfallina scoffed. ‘Aren’t you tired of trying to save the bad guy at this point?’

‘There’s always hope for people.’

‘I might consider surrendering if Gabriel Agreste goes to prison for his time as Hawkmoth.’

Chat Noir said, ‘We don’t negotiate with terrorists.’

‘No? Too bad.’

Farfallina conjured a butterfly and held it between her hands. As soon as it turned black, she shoved it into the foxtail necklace around her neck. She breathed deeply as the black bubbles washed over her.

‘Mom, get out of here!’ snapped Chat Noir.

When Nathalie made no movement, he scooped her up and sprinted through the house to drop her off in one of the distant bedrooms.

In the office, the black bubbles faded to reveal Volpina.

Volpina turned and looked at her stylised tail. She sighed with satisfaction. ‘Now, that’s more like it.’

‘So that’s why you took the Butterfly,’ said Carapace.

‘Duh. Hawkmoth was so stingy with the powers he gave out. And the Fox was even more limited. Waste of a good imagination.’

Ladybug crossed her arms. ‘I think he uses his imagination plenty well in legal-minded activities.’

‘You would say that. You’re the hero.’

Chat Noir slipped back inside. He pulled out his baton and extended it to match his height. ‘This ends today, Lila.’

‘Please, it’s Volpina.’ She blew on the flute.

Five other Volpinas appeared. They scattered in as many directions.

Chat Noir and Ladybug ran to the window. ‘No problem,’ said Ladybug. ‘We just have to send an object through them that’ll make the illusion disappear.’

‘No problem, she says,’ said Carapace to Rena Rouge.

‘The fight is young and so are we,’ said Rena Rouge. She jumped through the window and ran after the nearest illusion.

Ladybug and Queen Bee went after their prey.

Chat Noir crouched by his father’s still form and rolled the man over.

‘How is he?’ said Carapace.

‘He’ll live. Bruising on his face, but he’ll live.’

‘A little humility never hurt anyone.’

Chat Noir snorted. ‘With my father? It just might.’

Carapace slapped Chat Noir on the shoulder. ‘Let’s go get this bitch of a fox.’

They jumped out of the windows and sprinted after the rapidly disappearing Volpinas.


	25. What They Want to See

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Character Death Ahead**

Ladybug chased her Volpina along the Seine to _L’Île de la Cité_. As they passed Notre Dame, Volpina jumped from boat to boat and rolled to a stop in front of the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

Tom Dupain walked out of the bakery and walked right back in.

As she ran past, Ladybug saw her parents and Nadja Chamack staring through the window. Nadja’s phone was glued to her ear.

The Ladybug communicator beeped.

She flipped it open and saw Queen Bee. ‘I’m by the Dupain-Cheng Bakery.’

‘On my way,’ said Queen Bee. ‘Bringing Rena with me.’

Ladybug put the yoyo back on her hip and put on a new burst of speed.

Volpina swung onto the roof of the bakery, Marinette’s old rooftop garden.

When Ladybug clambered over the railing, Volpina yawned casually and said, ‘Tired yet?’

‘You wish.’

Volpina blew a haunting tune on her flute. Another three Volpinas appeared. ‘How about now?’

The Volpinas scattered.

‘We’ve got you, Ladybug!’

Ladybug turned and saw Rena Rouge and Queen Bee in pursuit. She ran after the other two heading along the river.

They passed the Louvre and Museé-D’Orsay.

As soon as they reached the Arc de Triomphe, one of the Volpinas vanished in a cloud of orange smoke.

Ladybug coughed as she ran through it.

The remaining Volpina jumped on top of the Arc. ‘How about now, Ladybug?’

‘What, are you tired?’ Ladybug threw her yoyo.

Volpina stepped to one side and avoided the attack. ‘Leave the jokes to the stray cat.’

‘He’s not a stray! He has a bell! Always has!’

‘That’s because I’ve always belonged to you, My Lady.’

Ladybug looked to her left. ‘Good to have you, _chaton_.’

Carapace stood to her right, the shield fixed squarely to his back. ‘Where are Rena and Bee?’

Rena rolled to a standing position next to Chat Noir. ‘Sorry we’re late.’

Queen Bee hovered by Carapace. ‘Someone’s illusions thought the gift shop looked like fun.’

Volpina scowled. ‘You really think you can stop me? I have the power of the Butterfly Miraculous coupled with my imagination.’

‘Yeah, so did Hawkmoth and all the other Butterfly holders,’ drawled Queen Bee.

Volpina glared at her. Black bubbles engulfed the Fake Fox.

‘What’s she doing?’ said Rena Rouge.

The bubbles faded.

‘She looks exactly the same,’ said Carapace.

Volpina played a light tune of her flute.

Five Volpinas, each wearing a corresponding colour to the Miraculous Five, leapt down.

‘How is that going to work?’ shouted Chat Noir. ‘They’re just illusions.’

Volpina posed with her flute acting as a cane. ‘Appearances can be deceiving, _minou_.’

A line appeared in Ladybug’s forehead. Her mouth dropped open. ‘It’s a tr—!’

The new Volpinas attacked, each going to their separate opponent. The yellow and black striped one buried her fingers in Queen Bee’s hair and pulled.

Queen Bee screamed in pain.

Chat Noir blocked a blow from the leather wearing Volpina.

Carapace ducked and dodged the green-clad Volpina. He jumped and swung.

‘How are they tangible?’ Rena kicked her opponent.

Ladybug tangled her yoyo string around her Volpina. ‘Spot don’t suit you, Lila!’

‘Whatever, Ladybug. You’d die of boredom without me.’ Volpina tossed her hair over her shoulder and jumped from the Arc de Triomphe.

‘We’ve got to go after her, My Lady,’ said Chat Noir. He hit his Volpina in the stomach. ‘She’s just going to keep making more.’ His fingers tangled in the fox necklace and broke it.

Immediately, the black and green Volpina disappeared.

‘Go for the necklaces!’ shouted Chat Noir.

‘Can you three handle these ones?’ said Ladybug to their teammates.

Queen Bee threw her opponent against the Arc and screamed in rage. ‘Go get the bitch.’

Ladybug and Chat Noir ran along the rooftops.

A blur to their left caught their attention. 

Chat Noir said, ‘Did you hand out another Miraculous?’

Ladybug shook her head.

They grunted in unison as they jumped across a series of narrow buildings.

‘Who else knows about the Miraculouses?’ said Chat Noir.

‘Nathaniel had the Turtle for part of the battle against Le Paon Rouge.’

Ladybug wrapped her arms around Chat Noir. Whirling his staff, they helicoptered across the grassy space by the Eiffel Tower. They scrambled up the metal structure before jumping to the lowest viewing platform.

Tourists scrambled for the stairs.

The heroes landed on either side of Volpina.

‘Back where we began, huh?’ said Ladybug.

Volpina looked from one hero to the other. She pulled the flute from her back.

‘Cut the chatter and play.’ Chat Noir marched towards Volpina, spinning his staff.

Ladybug twirled her yoyo.

‘That’s adorable,’ said Volpina. ‘But everyone knows that heroes are useless when it comes to permanently ending a situation!’

She jumped high enough to avoid their attacks. She swung onto the next level.

Her flute caught Chat Noir across the neck. She grabbed his hand and yanked the Miraculous from his hand.

‘Chat!’ screamed Ladybug.

The transformation faded.

Adrien clambered to his feet and dropped into a fighting stance.

Volpina played with the ring in her hand. ‘Adrien Agreste; why am I not surprised?’ She threw the ring off of the Eiffel Tower and kicked Adrien square in the chest.

He tumbled over the guardrail.

‘Adrien!’ screamed Ladybug. She didn’t have a stable position.

She threw her yoyo to catch him.

It missed.

‘Adrien!’ screamed Ladybug.

Volpina jumped to the highest level of the tower.

A pair of gloved hands reached out and pushed her.

Volpina tumbled back to Ladybug’s level. Her hair whipped about as she looked up. ‘What the hell?’

The figure jumped to their level, the skirt of her coat spilling around her. Red and gold flames curled over the black coat. ‘Language, _zorro_.’ Her fan tapped against her leg. ‘I’ve been waiting a long time to do this.’

‘Who are you?’ said Volpina.

The Peafowl holder flourished her fan. Blue eyes blinked behind her golden mask. Her skin held a healthy pink tone. ‘Call me Fénix.’

Ladybug squinted for a moment. Her mouth fell open before splitting into a grin.  

The Peafowl nodded.

Ladybug jumped and wrestled Volpina’s flute from her. She snapped it over her leg and tossed the pieces aside. She look over the railing.  

Adrien lay on the ground in a crumpled heap, eyes closed.

Volpina looked up from her empty hands.

Ladybug’s yoyo twirled.

Fénix removed a red and gold feather from her fan.

The same steely glint shone in each woman’s eye.

‘If you’re looking for Chat Noir, he’s downstairs,’ said Volpina. ‘The Agreste men really are useless in practical matters.’

‘You sound surprised,’ said Fénix flatly.

Ladybug’s mouth twitched.

Fénix blew on the feather in her hand. It drifted down to Adrien and melded with his wedding band.

Volpina studied the two women. ‘I’m sure this is going to make a great story: A single supervillain so strong even six superheroes can’t take her down.’

The blue outline disappeared from Fénix’s face. She swung her fan at Volpina. ‘Too clumsy.’

Volpina dodged the next blow, but Ladybug’s yoyo caught her around the legs.

The Italian Fox landed hard on her back. She cried out in pain.

‘What, is your sprained wrist hurting you?’ Ladybug yanked on the string, pulling Volpina closer. ‘Still want to fight alone?’

‘Alone is what I have!’ Volpina rolled out of the yoyo string.

She rolled right into Fénix’s feet.

‘And that’s your mistake,’ said Fénix. ‘At least Gabriel had a secretary to help him.’ Fénix flipped the fan in her left hand. In a single, clean motion, she struck Volpina across the face.

Volpina screamed and touched her face. Flecks of blood glittered on her palm.

‘You don’t even have that.’ Fénix hauled the battered girl to her feet. ‘Your second mistake was to push a good person to the point that they no longer care.’

‘You call yourself a good person?’ Volpina sniggered.

Fénix threw Volpina against a support beam before catching the girl by the throat. ‘I am not. But Ladybug is.’ Her fingers tightened their grip. ‘Fear the wrath of a righteous person.’

‘Ladybug!’ Volpina’s legs kicked. Her hands pulled at Fénix’s arm. ‘Help me, Ladybug!’

Ladybug took a deep breath. ‘Fénix? Can I invoke the Mom-code?’

Fénix’s eyes narrowed with pleasure. ‘Always.’

Ladybug clenched her hands. ‘You killed people, Volpina. And you tried to kill the people we care about most.’

Volpina wheezed. ‘It—it won’t happen again!’

‘I know.’ Ladybug took a deep breath. ‘Mom?’

Fénix squeezed her hands.

The figure of Volpina evaporated into orange smoke.

Fénix gasped and stepped back into the open space.

Volpina landed on Fénix’s shoulders, driving the woman into the ground. She rolled off and stared at Ladybug.

‘How?’ said Ladybug.

‘You really think I’m too stupid to not upgrade my powers when given the chance? Please.’ Volpina ran at Ladybug.

Ladybug looked from Fénix’s still form to the orange streak running at her.

_Demons run when a good man goes to war…_

Ladybug sidestepped Volpina’s blow. She knocked the flute away, threw the yoyo to catch the woman’s wrist.

And in the fighting, she realised how much she missed Chat Noir. Chat Noir who lay so very still below.

Volpina ran a claw over Ladybug’s face, trying to grab the earrings. She caught Ladybug’s top-knot and yanked.

Gritting her teeth against the pain, Ladybug swung around. The two women rolled across the observation platform, clawing, pulling, biting.

Ladybug kicked Volpina in the stomach.

The Faux Fox rolled to the edge of the platform. She caught herself on a guardrail.

Volpina groaned as she stood. She held an arm around her ribs. ‘I underestimated you.’

‘You should have paid attention to Fénix,’ said Ladybug.

A bit of lavender flashed at Volpina’s throat.

‘I don’t fear you, Ladybug. You’re the wielder of creation.’  

_Fear the wrath of a righteous person._

Volpina fluttered her lashes. ‘Even if you hurt me, the Miraculous Ladybug charm will restore me. And we’ll be stuck in this war forever.’

Marinette stared at her opponent.

Time slowed as memory trickled through the battle rage, a memory from a day at the ice skating rink: _The only reason you can't stand on your feet is your hesitation. I never hesitate._

‘I’m sorry, Volpina,’ said Ladybug.

Volpina cocked her head.

‘I hesitated; I kept trying to stop you. Now others are paying for my consequences.’

‘What does that even mean?’

‘It means it’s time for me to end this here and now.’

‘You can’t. You’re a hero.’

Ladybug pursed her lips and straightened her shoulders. ‘Watch what a woman who has nothing to lose can do.’ She threw her yoyo in the air. ‘Lucky Charm!’

A butter knife fell into her hand.

Volpina cackled. ‘You’re going to stop me with a piece of cutlery? I’m not some stupid teddy bear trying to control teenagers!’

Ladybug looked around. Clues, clues! Surely stabbing Volpina wasn’t an option.

Volpina gasped and sprinted past Ladybug.

Fénix lay destransformed. Dusuu fluttered nearby, tears welling up in her eyes.

Dusuu flew to Ladybug. ‘She’s gone into labour,’ croaked the Kwami. ‘You have to get her help.’

Volpina rolled Nathalie over. ‘Gabriel’s secretary?’ she whispered. Her eyes flicked to the guardrail where Adrien had fallen. A cruel smile spread over her features as her gaze settled on Ladybug. ‘Marientte Dupain-Ch—’

Ladybug punched Volpina square in the mouth.

Volpina flew to the side, landing heavily on her side. ‘Seriously? What is with—?’

Ladybug shoved a knee into Volpina’s back and whipped the yoyo around Volpina’s throat. She wrapped the strings around the knife and twisted…

 

 

Ladybug wanted nothing more than to pull her knees to her chin and let the shock overwhelm her. But this had to end. 

Sirens wailed on the street below. She could hear emergency services loading into the elevator.

Her trembling fingers found the Akumatized Fox necklace, the same one Lila stole from the book so many years ago. She broke it and purified the Akuma.

Volpina faded to reveal her Farfallina costume, a skin-tight purple suit with a heavy hood. That washed away as well, revealing Lila in her street clothes. Her eyes stared blankly at the sky.

Nooroo appeared. He looked at the fallen wielder and sighed with relief. ‘Is it over?’ he said in the smallest of voices.

‘I think so,’ said Ladybug. She held a hand out. ‘I’m taking you back to the Guardian.’

‘I can’t wait to see him again.’

Ladybug gave a laugh that was just as much a sob. ‘I’m sorry. There’s a new Guardian.’ She focussed on controlling her breathing, fighting back the tears. ‘Master Fu…’

Nooroo flew through the shower of tears to nuzzle her cheek.

_Beep-beep!_

Ladybug touched her earrings. ‘Goodbye, Nooroo.’

He gave her a final smile. ‘Goodbye, Ladybug. I wish you luck.’

He vanished as soon as Ladybug removed the brooch from Lila’s scarf. Wings grew around the purple stone, declaring its dormant state.

Ladybug looked at the Lucky Charm tangled in the yoyo’s string, at the bodies lying around. So many exposed identities.  

She wound up the yoyo and placed it on her hip. Then she turned the knife over in her hands.

_Beep-beep!_

The elevator’s rumbling grew louder.

‘No resurrections this time.’ She yanked the Peafowl Miraculous from Nathalie’s lapel and jumped off the Eiffel Tower.

She swung her yoyo and tracked down the Chat Noir Miraculous.

It lay in a bird nest. She collected it and sprinted off over the rooftops of Paris.

_Beep-beep!_

 

 

The transformation faded when she was still a few feet in the air.

Marinette landed wrong on the cobblestoned road and gripped her ankle. She whimpered.

Tikki dropped onto her shoulder. She shook her head and hiccoughed.

‘Tikki, what did I do?’

Tikki bowed her head and looked at the Miraculouses in Marinette’s hand. She shuddered. ‘Put on Chat Noir’s ring.’

‘Why?’

‘To keep it safe.’

Marinette shoved the Butterfly and Peafowl Miraculouses in her sewing bag and pulled out a cookie. ‘Now what?’

‘Go to your parents’ bakery. They’ll help take care of you. When emergency services find Adrien and Nathalie, they’re going to call you.’

‘Right.’ Marinette put the ring on her finger. ‘Right.’

Plagg appeared, ears twitching. ‘What happened? Where’s my kitten?’

Tikki shoved Plagg into the sewing bag. ‘Go home, Marinette.’

‘But…’

‘Go home.’ Tikki disappeared into the bag.  

Marinette staggered out of the alley and smothered a sob. She could see her old roof from this angle. Only a couple blocks away sat her home and her parents.

Safety beckoned.

A car squealed to a stop beside her. The back passenger window rolled down. ‘Marinette? What happened?’

‘The Akuma…I need—I need—’

‘Get inside. I can help.’

Marinette climbed into the car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Ding Dong, the witch is dead  
> Which old witch?  
> Well, uh, the wicked witch ( Oh)  
> Ding Dong, the wicked witch is dead*


	26. Road to Damascus

‘Sir, stay out or we will have you escorted from the hospital.’ The nurse slammed the door shut.

Gabriel collapsed into a chair at the end of the corridor. He removed his glasses and covered his face with his hand.

The rumble of the crash cart went past him and into the delivery room.

More nurses and doctors disappeared into the room, each burdened with equipment.

Emilie’s delivery had been noisy. She had complained the entire time, cursing him and his ancestors, threatening all sorts of retribution for bearing _his_ son, for doing all the work so _he_ could have an heir.

Until Adrien lay in her arms. And then it became _her_ son, the apple of _her_ eye.

Her biggest leverage.

Gabriel tented his fingers and stared at the wall. If nothing else, he had done his best to honour her, to protect _their_ son.

And now he could lose it all one fell swoop.

Because he decided to open a text.

 

***

 

Gabriel Agreste stood on the balcony overlooking the evening’s event. The mid-July breeze played over the guests, a welcome respite from the Milan heat.

The week had been a success, his newest line receiving reviews and awards far beyond those of his competitors. Yes, he was punch-drunk on the success.

He smiled and sipped his champagne, watching Adrien and Marinette mingle with the guests. Adrien looked every inch his son in the white linen suit and soft button-up. Marinette wore one of Emilie’s vintage gowns. The blue matched her eyes and Adrien’s shirt. With their hands never far from each other, they looked every inch the newlyweds that they were.

On the other side of the pool, Nathalie appeared to be chatting amiably with the leader of a rival fashion house. More likely she was negotiating the loan of the house’s more prominent models for a partnered advertisement.

God, he loved her strength and drive. Marrying her had been the best decision he’d made since surrendering the Miraculouses to the Guardian.

He took another sip of his champagne and considered returning to the party. His shoulders were more relaxed after twenty minutes of quiet, a time to recharge. One of Nathalie’s tricks now that their social calendar had actual social events on it.

A hint of thunder rolled across the air, somewhere beyond the vineyards and hills.

‘Hello, Gabriel,’ said a nasally tone.

He looked behind him.

Lila Rossi leaned against the white marble doorframe, arms crossed over her chest. Her smile was knowing. ‘Enjoying the view?’

‘I was.’ He turned back around. A finger tapped against his champagne flute.

Lila strolled over and leaned against the balcony railing. She was barely taller than when they had first met. Her eyes narrowed at the scene below. ‘So, she got him after all.’

‘It’s been a perfect relationship,’ said Gabriel. ‘Two halves of a whole.’

She looked up at him. ‘And what about you? Are you happy with your secretary?’

‘My own equal?’ He smiled smugly. ‘Very.’ He held eye contact as he sipped the champagne again.

‘How much does she know?’ Lila placed a tentative hand on his arm.

‘Everything.’

‘Even about us?’ Her grip tightened.

Gabriel looked down. ‘Release me.’

‘I didn’t think so.’ Her voice took on a sweet tone. ‘Do you want her to know about our relationship? About the second phone? About all those extra-curricular activities? About the—,’ her finger ran over his lips. ‘About the depths of our relationship?’

A hand seemed to squeeze Gabriel’s throat. ‘Your reputation is well known.’

‘And so is yours. You were investigated twice on suspicions of being Hawkmoth, once by Ladybug, once by the police.’ She smoothed his cravat. ‘It would be so easy—’

He brushed her hands away and stepped back from the balcony railing. ‘Be careful how you play your cards, Miss Rossi. They have a terrible tendency of cutting you.’

She screwed up her face, thinking for a moment. ‘Is that supposed to be a reference to Jackady?’

‘Simon Says? Perhaps.’ He fixed his cravat, remembering how close he had been to jumping off of the network building’s roof when under the Akuma’s control. ‘Have a good evening, Miss Rossi.’

He walked toward the exit.

‘I won’t hesitate to denounce you.’

He hesitated. ‘And whose word is going to carry more weight?’

‘It doesn’t matter.’ She played with a curl of her hair. ‘All I have to do is insinuate that you…pursued me while still a minor, that we shared a deep connection like none other.’

The MC’s microphone crackled before clearing. ‘Will all of the nominees for tonight’s awards please come to the stage? We will begin the final round of awards in ten minutes. Everyone else, grab a fresh drink and get ready to celebrate or drown your sorrows.’

People laughed below. A few cheered.

Lila smiled. ‘I’m coming back to Paris. I look forward to seeing you there.’

Gabriel straightened his shoulders and nodded his head curtly. ‘Good evening, Miss Rossi.’

He went downstairs and nearly bowled over fellow designer Miguel Zaragoza.

‘There you are!’ Miguel straightened his rhinestone-studded glasses. ‘Ramona sent me to fetch you. Did you know you’re up for three of the awards?’

‘I knew about one. There are two more?’

Miguel rubbed his hands together. ‘The younger crowd set up a few in-house awards. Nothing official but should be fun all the same.’

A passing waiter offered them a tray of champagne.

‘To the best winner,’ said Miguel, tapping his glass against Gabriel’s.

‘Likewise.’ Gabriel scanned the crowd. He saw Marinette visiting with an up-and-rising fashion critic and magazine editor. Adrien stood with his arm around her waist, almost permanently glued there.

Miguel made a bee-line for his wife, interrupting her conversation with Nathalie.

Gabriel joined the group. He wrapped an arm around Nathalie’s waist before planting a kiss on her exposed neck.

She shivered and looked up at him. Pink tinged her cheeks.

‘You’ve been drinking.’ He kissed her.

‘As have you.’

The MC tapped her microphone. ‘All right, everyone,’ she said in French, ‘welcome to the last night of Fashion Hell, also known as Milan Charity Fashion Week.’

‘Get a better name!’ shouted a model.

‘Come up with something better and we will,’ said the MC, Bridget McGuire.

Everyone laughed.

‘First up, the official awards. These formally recognise giants in the field who have made their mark on the fashion industry and fashion history. First up…’

Gabriel let his attention wander.

Thunder rumbled, closer than before.

The temperature was dropping, and Nathalie nestled closer. Her fingers linked with his.

People politely applauded as nominees were read out for each award. Once the winner was announced, a toast was made. By popular vote, thanksgiving speeches had been eliminated after a near riot two years ago when someone’s speech ran over ten minutes.

‘…For the Lifetime Achievement Award, we have two nominees.’ Bridget grinned. ‘It’s a good thing voting is anonymous, otherwise these two might lose the excuse of a friendship that they have. The nominees are Miguel Zaragoza and Gabriel Agreste.’

‘You’re going down, old man,’ said Miguel, throwing up his fists with the worst form imaginable. He was six months younger than Gabriel.

‘Respect your elders, child,’ said Miguel’s wife, Ramona.

Gabriel glanced at Adrien.

He gave his father a thumbs up.

‘And the winner is—’ Bridget opened the envelope, eyebrows disappearing behind her bangs. ‘Gabriel Agreste!’

He smiled tersely and nodded his head as everyone raised their glasses in salute.

‘Next on the list…’

The other category for which he had been nominated went to Eliana Freedman, a recent addition who had taken the fashion scene by storm. She more than deserved it. If their styles hadn’t been so different, she would have been a viable threat.

The Texas native flashed a smile from the stage.

Bridget handed her the microphone.

‘Thanks for coming tonight,’ said Eliana in flawless if heavily accented French. ‘I was head of the committee for the fan-favourite voting, for lack of better phrasing, so it’s my dubious pleasure to start handing these awards out. I hope everyone has retained their sense of humour, because it’s going to get funky from here out.’

Several of the younger models and designers whooped and cheered.

In English, she said ‘All right, all y’all hang on to your hats,’ and ripped open the first envelope. She returned to French. ‘The award for Most Unique Design of the Week goes to Henri Deutschman for his Steampunk-Superhero-inspired men’s athleisure-wear.’

The young designer stood up and bowed as people whooped and whistled.

‘Frankly, not the worst design ever,’ said Eliana, ‘but not something I expect to see outside of a comic convention hall anytime. Adrien Agreste, that statement does include you.’

‘Oh come on!’ Adrien’s cheeks were cherry red. ‘I was seventeen!’

Bridget grabbed the microphone. ‘And people wonder why you’re not allowed to dress yourself.’

The crowd erupted into laughter.

‘Next up, we have Most Uncomfortable Shoe Design…’

The gag awards continued for another fifteen minutes, good-natured jibes and jokes floating about the room.

‘We’re going to get a little more serious with the last three awards,’ said Eliana. She winked. ‘Sort of. I swear this is basically high school. Couples, you’re up! We have the Darlingest Couple, the Best Gossips on Scene, and Most Likely to Take Over the World.’

‘That was supposed to be the Ultimate Power Couple,’ shouted Henri.

‘We changed it up after your nomination graced the catwalk. Have to keep up with the theme, y’know?’

Henri shook his shaggy head. ‘Get going.’

‘For Darlingest Couple,’ said Eliana, ‘no surprise, everyone voted for the cutest newlyweds to ever live and were surprisingly able to join us for the weekend—Adrien Agreste and Marientte Dupain-Cheng!’

Marinette blushed before spinning Adrien, dipping him, and kissing him soundly.

Adrien swayed as he stood up, a hand clutched to his heart.

‘Get a room,’ said another model.

‘You get a room,’ said Marinette.

‘Enjoy the attention while you can,’ said Bridget. ‘There’s some stiff competition for next year.’

‘Who’s getting married?’ shouted someone.

Eliana held a finger to her lips, flashing a brilliant solitaire on her ring finger. ‘Best Gossips on Scene…Ha! Can’t disagree with this one! Triple T: Teddy and Tobias Tobin.’

The couple stood up and waved royally.

‘And last but not least: Most Likely to Take Over the World.’ Eliana grinned as she tore open the envelope. She laughed and handed the card over to the other MC.

Bridget struggled to keep a straight face. She sputtered and doubled over with laughter. ‘I’m sorry; I can’t.’

The two women leaned against each other for support.

‘The winner of the prestigious—’

‘The Most Likely to Take Over the World—’

‘—Which used to be known as the Ultimate Power Couple—’

‘Dear Lord, this one wrote itself!’ Bridget wiped tears from her face. ‘Gabriel Agreste and Nathalie Sancoeur.’

Nathalie’s fingers tightened around Gabriel’s.

His breathing grew shallow.

Miguel raised his champagne flute. ‘I for one welcome our future overlords. Maybe the trains will actually run according to schedule.’

Everyone raised a glass. ‘Here, here!’

‘Hey, Dad!’ called Adrien. ‘Can we make super suits mandatory wear in this brave new regime?’

‘No!’ bellowed Gabriel and Nathalie together.

Eliana said, ‘Congratulations to everyone who won, everyone who was nominated, and to all y’all who came tonight. It’s time to crank up the music and get moving on the dance floor!’

The speakers, which had been playing tasteful background music, pumped dance music into the air.

Most of the over-35 crowd excused itself and disappeared for a quieter refuge.

Gabriel said in Nathalie’s ear, ‘Enough of people.’

She nodded. Arm-in-arm, they went through the villa and up the stairs to their own room.

As they cleared the last step, Gabriel kissed his wife deeply, passionately. His fingers pulled at the pins in her hair.

‘Gabriel!’ Her hands went up to hold her hair in place. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Celebrating.’ He grinned mischievously and continued to pull pins from her hair as they fled to their room. ‘We did it, my queen.’

They stumbled into their suite, twined about each other. They navigated the sitting room to their bedroom.

Nathalie kicked the door shut behind them.

Gabriel’s finger tugged at the fastenings of her dress. He ran kisses from behind her ear to her _décolletage_.

‘Give me two minutes to take my contacts out. Hey!’

He caught the last of her hairpins and held them up as high as he could reach.

Her hair spilling down her back, Nathalie put her hands on her hips. ‘What are you, twelve?’

‘Occasionally.’ He set the handful of pins on the dresser. ‘Get your contacts out. I am not feeling patient.’

She turned up her nose. ‘Good things come to those who wait.’

Gabriel removed his linen jacket and shoes and walked over to watch his wife.

She placed one contact in its container and blinked rapidly. Her fingers felt for the other one.

As soon as her manicured fingers were a safe distance from her eye, Gabriel grinned and slipped his head beneath her full cocktail skirt.

‘Gabriel, serious—oh!’ Nathalie gripped the edge of the vanity.

The second contact just made it to its berth.

‘Wait for—ergh! I need to screw the lid on.’

His head reappeared, eyes dark with pleasure. ‘I’d much rather you screwed me.’

‘You’ll get your turn.’

He planted a kiss on the inside of her knee. ‘I’m not a patient man.’

She snorted. ‘Do you want all of my attention or only part of my attention, oh, impatient one?’ She touched her index finger to the middle of his forehead.

He stared at it before grabbing her wrist and placing a kiss on the inside of her wrist. ‘I take what I can get.’

‘You always have.’ Nathalie’s fingers curled around the edge of the vanity as he disappeared beneath the skirt again.

It wasn’t long before she slid limply to the floor.

He wiped his mouth and kissed her forehead. ‘There, my favourite image in the world.’

‘No pictures,’ she whispered, tracing his jawline with her finger.

‘Where would the joy of that be? I like seeing my work in the flesh.’

Nathalie extended her hand, and he pulled her to her feet.

‘I love you,’ he mumbled against her lips.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. ‘I know.’

They stumbled over to the bed, Nathalie landing on top of Gabriel.

‘You look amazing,’ he said, running his hands through her hair.

She untied his cravat. ‘And you talk entirely too much.’

‘Not tonight.’ He eyed the striped fabric. ‘I’ll be good.’

‘Not too good, I hope.’ She undid the buttons of his shirt and slipped it off. She picked up the cravat.

He batted her hands away. ‘Not tonight!’ He caught her by the waist and threw her onto the bed.

Her legs tangled around his arms.

They landed on the floor, each struggling for dominance.

The wrestling match ended with them both panting on the floor by the bathroom door. The cravat bound Gabriel’s wrists to the vanity.

‘You cheated.’

She stood up and reached for the zipper on her dress. ‘You should learn to fight better.’

‘Get me a rapier—’ He gulped and stared as a spiked heel rested on his linen-clad thigh.

Nathalie leaned in with enough pressure to make him whimper. She leaned until her head was level with his face. ‘You were saying?’

He gulped. ‘Fuck me.’

‘With pleasure.’

 

 

Summer light streamed through the gauzy curtains, highlighting the mess of the room.

A text alert chimed.

Gabriel rolled out of Nathalie’s warm embrace and rummaged through their clothes for the phone. He found it underneath the dresser. He opened the message and squinted at the blinding light.

NEW MESSAGE FROM UNKNOWN NUMBER.

He sat on the edge of the bed and opened the message.

_did you miss me? *attached image*_

He opened the attachment.

A very underage and very much unclothed Lila Rossi winked from the picture.

He deleted the message and turned his phone off. ‘Nathalie.’

‘Hm?’ She struggled to open her eyes.

He smoothed her hair. ‘Have I told you that you are absolutely amazing?’

Makeup-smudged eyes blinked at him. ‘Not today.’

‘You are an absolute lifesaver.’ He wrapped an arm around her waist ‘I’d be lost without you.’ He ran a trail of kisses along her shoulder before burying his face in her hair.

 

***

 

‘Mr Agreste?’ said a nurse.

He jerked awake. ‘Yes?’ He put his glasses on.

The nurse smiled. ‘They made it. Both Maman and the baby are safe.’

Gabriel rose to his feet. The room spun. ‘Can I see them?’

It seemed like blood covered everything. Almost twenty people crowded into the room. Multiple IVs connected to Nathalie, dark hair framing her pale face. Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths.

Three medical staff talked with each other. ‘…Two transfusions should be enough. Be on standby for a third.’

‘Here you are, Papa.’ A nurse handed a bundle to the designer. ‘She put up quite the fight.’

Gabriel took his daughter and cradled her to his chest. ‘Welcome, little one.’

He walked over to Nathalie and kissed her sweat-soaked forehead. ‘She’s perfect. Thank you.’


	27. Hoverfly

Marinette pushed the oxygen mask away.

The paramedic reaffixed it to her face. ‘Keep this on. You inhaled a lot of smoke.’

Her brain felt fuzzy. The ambulance bounced a lot.

Her ears were full with a distant, high-pitched humming.

On the gurney, Chloe lay still as the paramedics fought to save her life. Burns covered her arms, legs, and face.

‘Patient appears to have an implant for arrhythmia.’

One of the paramedics turned to Marinette. ‘Can you confirm if she has an implanted defibrillator?’

Marinette nodded.

Chloe had hidden it as best as she could. Until Kim asked one day in class why she had a lump under her collarbone.

That was the first time the teachers reported the heiress’ anorexia.

Someone shook Marinette’s arm.

Her eyes fluttered open.

‘Don’t fall asleep on us,’ said a woman with grey streaks. ‘You’re not anymore out of the woods than she is.’

‘Out of the woods…out of the, intotheintotheinto…’

_Into the woods, into the woods, into the woods…_

Marinette’s head flopped forward.

The humming grew louder, muting the words of the paramedic.

_The cow as white as milk…_

Everything seemed to float away.

_The cape as red as blood…_

A rumbling vibrated against her shoulders.

Bright lights flashed over her face.

‘…Patient shows signs of pregnancy…’

‘Marinette!’

She raised her head slightly and saw Gabriel.

_I wish to go to the festival…_

More doctors and nurses gathered around her.

Tubes and needles pinched her skin.

Shadows filled her vision.

_Into the woods it’s time to go…Into the woods, into the woods, intothewoodsthewoodswoo…_

Blessed blackness overwhelmed her.

 

 

***

 

 

Humming. The dull, industrial humming of florescent lights.

Why were her arms numb and pressed close to her body?

The smell of bread and cleaning chemicals filled her nostrils. A metallic taste coated her tongue.

Marinette lifted her head and blinked, trying to focus on her surroundings. It looked like the generic basement of any industrial building. The walls were finished. Cold air circulated by way of industrial-sized fans.

She blinked, shivering in her bonds.

Crates filled the room. ‘Le Grand Paris’ was stamped on the side.

Marinette looked to her right.

Chloe sat in another chair, about five feet away. Ropes bound her arms beside her, just as Marinette’s were. Black makeup streaks covered her face as she stared blankly at the wall. Her blouse was torn, exposing red welts on her skin.

‘Where are we?’ mumbled Marinette.

Chloe continued to stare at the wall.

‘Chloe? Tikki?’ Marinette coughed. Her lungs felt like they were on fire. ‘Plagg?’

‘We’re here,’ whispered Tikki.

‘Can you get me out of here?’

Tikki vanished at the sound of footsteps.

Sabrina skulked around the corner. ‘Oh, good. You’re awake. I was worried that I used too much to knock you out.’

‘Sa—’ Marinette licked her dry lips, trying to remember what had happened. She needed her head to stop aching for just a moment. ‘What’s happening? Where are we?’

‘The basement of Le Grand Paris.’ Sabrina put a hand on Chloe’s forehead. ‘Good, the fever’s rising.’

‘What?’ Marinette coughed. Her ribs were on fire.

‘There’ll be questions once your bodies are found. Poor Adrien Agreste, losing his wife and his oldest friend in the same day.’

The light glinted off the Bee Miraculous in Sabrina’s auburn waves.

‘Why—?’

‘Am I doing this? Please, don’t be obvious.’ Sabrina held a bottle of something foul under Chloe’s nose.

Chloe jerked alert, pulling her head back from the smell. ‘Sabrina? What’s going on?’ The old arrogance came back into her tone, exposing her fear. Her eyes narrowed at the Miraculous in Sabrina’s hair.

She struggled against her bonds. ‘Give me back my Pollen!’

Pollen floated sadly beside her new Wielder.

‘How could you do this?’ said Marinette. ‘You’re Chloe’s friend!’

Sabrina snorted. ‘You mean Chloe’s victim. Sure, she’s different now. But how many years of hell did she put us through?’

‘You didn’t have to stay her friend.’

‘Are you sure? Because her dad fired mine in front of everyone that day in class! Just because he decided to uphold the law!’

‘And what about now? You’re really going to make her pay for stuff from almost ten years ago? We were kids!’

Sabrina crossed her arms. ‘Do you know why I stayed Chloe’s friend? Because Chloe gave me power. She was prettier, bolder, and better connected. I wouldn’t have gotten into the school I did without the references picked up by being her poor bullied friend.’

‘There’s a term for that,’ said Chloe, staring at Pollen.

The Bee Kwami stared at the floor.

‘It’s called a long con,’ said Sabrina, ‘and they’re the hardest attacks to protect yourself from.’

‘But why are you doing this?’ said Marinette. ‘What do you get?’

‘Why did you give Chloe the Miraculous?’

‘I didn’t—’

‘Why did Chloe Bourgeois of all people get a Miraculous? Why did she get to be a hero?’

‘I lost it and she found it! It was an accident!’

‘It was fate,’ snapped Chloe.

Marinette felt her face grow even warmer. She glared at Chloe. ‘If we’re blaming anyone, your mother was the one who knocked it out of my hand.’

‘Yay, what a great mom.’ Chloe’s eyes rolled to the ceiling.

Sabrina smashed the bottle of smelling salts.

It oozed across the floor.

‘Chloe shared everything with me until that day! And then she didn’t need me anymore!’ Sabrina stomped her foot. ‘And it’s all because of you, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.’

‘Again with the full name!’ Marinette rolled her eyes. ‘At least I know you’re a proper antagonist now.’

Sabrina growled. ‘The one thing Chloe wouldn’t share with me.’

‘Because Ladybug kept taking the Miraculous back at the end of the fight!’ Lines appeared in Chloe’s forehead. ‘How could I share something with you if I didn’t even have it?’

Tears filled Marinette’s eyes. ‘Why did you kill poor Master Fu?’

Sabrina shrugged. ‘He was a stupid old man. Giving superpowers to teenagers?’ She spat on the floor. ‘Besides, there can’t be a New Guardian if the Old Guardian is still alive. Nino as the Guardian was supposed to be easier to access and manipulate.’

Marinette’s brows met. ‘You’ve wanted our Miraculouses this whole time? Why didn’t you say so?’

‘Because I didn’t want people to accuse me of being a plain old copycat.’ Sabrina smiled shyly. ‘Pure chaos always causes better panic, anyways.’

‘And Lila? How does she come into this?’

‘Poor Lila. She’s amazing at playing people. She can lie and manipulate and sow discord like none other I’ve seen. But she can’t plan beyond the next fifteen minutes to save her life.’

Marinette nodded reluctantly. Couldn’t argue that one.

‘She also had bone to pick with you and your family.’ Sabrina laughed and leaned against a crate. ‘It was easier to manipulate her anger and bitterness than Chloe’s selfishness. Introducing the idea of blackmailing Gabriel was easy. Once Lila let slip that they had worked together to create Akumas, the plan practically wrote itself.’

A heavy weight settled in Marinette’s stomach.

‘How are you sure she wasn’t trying to make herself more important?’ said Chloe. 

Sabrina rolled her shoulders. ‘Getting proof wasn't an issue. Nathalie’s obsession for record keeping made everything so ridiculously easy.’

‘Where’s the proof?’ said Marinette.

‘You’ll never find it.’ Sabrina walked over to Marinette and admired her earrings. ‘I’m glad Lila was so helpful. Who can stop me once I have the Ladybug and the Black Cat Miraculouses? I’ll take on the rest of the holders one at a time and then I’ll hold them all.’ Sabrina’s eyes gleamed. ‘There’s a new Guardian in town, bitches.’

A snort sounded within Marinette’s blazer.

Sabrina marched over to Marinette. ‘What was that?’

Plagg phased through the fabric of the blazer and stared at Sabrina, arms crossed. He stuck his tongue out. ‘You may plan well, but your execution is lousy. Monologueing is so two centuries ago.’

‘What are you?’ said Sabrina, staring closely.

‘Kid,’ said Plagg. ‘Spots on, claws out. It’s game time.’

Marinette looked down at Tikki.

Tikki nodded, a grim look on her face.

‘It’s too dangerous,’ whispered Marinette.

‘You can’t let her control the Miraculouses,’ said Tikki. ‘It would destroy the balance.’

‘Why didn’t you take the Miraculouses when you had the chance?’ said Marinette to Sabrina.

Sabrina blinked rapidly, forcing her gaze away from Plagg’s. ‘Lila stole the Butterfly, just like Chloe stole the Bee.’

‘I didn’t steal it! I found it,’ snarled Chloe.

‘Shut up!’

‘Or what? You’ve already taken Pollen.’

Marinette whispered, ‘You wanted to earn them.’

‘I can take a lot more,’ Sabrina shouted at Chloe. ‘How will it feel to be at the receiving end of your Venom, Chloe?’ Her eyes lit up. ‘What about when I go after Nathaniel? He’ll be so lost without you.’

‘Try it,’ hissed Chloe.

‘I think I will! And after that, I’ll go after Adrien!’

Marinette clenched her hands. ‘Tikki, spots on!’

As Tikki spun into her earrings, Marinette yelled, ‘Plagg, claws out!’

He shot into the ring.

A purple light flashed over the room.

The ropes dropped from Lady Noire. She ripped the ropes from Chloe, grabbed the blonde, and jumped into the rafters.

‘Pollen, buzz on!’

Hoverfly threw her top and broke the lighting fixtures, plunging the room into darkness. Sparks cascaded to the floor.

‘Big mistake,’ said Lady Noire. ‘Bees only work in the daylight.’

‘And?’ Hoverfly buzzed into the air, looking for her opponent. ‘Queen Bee flies around all the time at night.’

‘But there’s always some form of light.’ 

The rafters creaked.

Lady Noire’s voice came from a different direction. ‘There’s always enough light for her to see by. But this?’ A low, slow chuckle filled the room.

The room shook from the laugh.

The darkness thickened.

Hoverfly looked around, panting, gasping. She squeaked as she ran into a pillar and fell to the ground. She crawled to a sitting position.

‘Blackest night is my playground.’

In a corner, a flame sprung to life, gathering strength as it ran along the fluid dropped earlier.

‘Go to hell!’ shouted Hoverfly.

Lady Noire swung down from the rafters and landed gently on her feet.

The combined Miraculouses emitted a soft purple glow. One hand played with her yoyo. The other extended the baton to staff-length.

‘Oh, sweetie.’ Lady Noire’s tail twitched. ‘Where do you think I came from?’ 

The room exploded into flames.

 

 

***

 

 

The stain looked like a strawberry. A brown strawberry, but definitely a strawberry.

Marinette’s eyes blinked as she stared at the ceiling. Everything felt so fuzzy. Shouldn’t the Miraculouses have protected her?

She took a deep breath and pushed the button to raise the bed.

A nurse came in and looked over her.

Ten minutes later, Gabriel entered the room. He stood by the bed and placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘What happened?’

She looked up at him, all emotion drained away. She silently wrapped her arms around her father-in-law.

He smoothed her hair and held her.

The Kwamis watched him from the shelter of Marinette’s bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I wrote this about a month before 'Miraculer' premiered, which hopefully tells you how long I've been sitting on this chapter.


	28. The Spots of a Leopard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friendly reminder, 'Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead' is for the Wicked Witch of the East. There's another witch to be defeated.

Marinette pushed the door open to Adrien’s hospital room.

His head lay against the pillows, mouth open slightly as he slept. A ray of spring sunshine illuminated his features. His thick eyelashes cast dark shadows onto his cheekbones.

She sat in the chair next to the bed and took his hand.

He mumbled before blinking his eyes open. He licked his dry lips. ‘C’mere.’

Marinette climbed into the bed with him and wrapped herself around him. One hand buried itself in his hair.

Plagg and Tikki snuggled against the pillows, curled around each other in a perfect yin-yang form.

The four lay and listened to the beeping of the machinery, the chatter and life of the hospital, the odd siren approaching the hospital.

Marinette stared at the arrangement of sunflowers on the windowsill. She kept an ear pressed to Adrien’s chest, desperate for the reassurance of his beating heart.

Adrien’s breathing became regular as he drifted off to sleep again.

Tears trickled down her cheeks, soaking the hospital gown.

Adrien woke up with a start and looked down at the soggy patch on his chest. The pillows were damp. He ran his hand over her arm. ‘It’s okay. It’ll all worked out.’

‘I should have been faster, more alert. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.’

He lifted her chin to look at him. ‘You can’t blame yourself. We knew stuff like this could happen. But everyone came out of it alive and more or less healthy.’ He smiled. ‘And thanks to modern medicine, everything is going to be just fine. You won’t even know that anything happened in five years.’

She rubbed her eyes. ‘The doctor gave us the full report on your injuries. Plagg said that even transformed you won’t be able to walk or run.’  

Adrien’s smile faltered. ‘Was my father there?’

‘He’s furious in his own “emotions are for peasants” way.’

‘You forgot the “terms and conditions apply”.’

‘Don’t make me laugh!’

‘I’m Chat Noir! My job is to keep you balanced, My Lady.’

She stuck her tongue out at him.

Adrien could feel the knot loosening in her shoulders. ‘Did they tell you that surgery can fix this? The damage happened in a spot where I’ll eventually be able to walk with a cane. I’ll be fine.’

‘Adrien—’

He cupped her cheek with his hand. ‘Listen to me: You’re the strongest person I know. And it’s okay for strong people to be overwhelmed.’ His thumb played over her cheek. ‘Remember when I said that you’re our Everyday Ladybug?’

She nodded.

‘Ladybug doesn’t have to carry the world on her shoulders. She has Chat Noir and the rest of the Miraculous Team for that.’ He touched her nose with his index finger. ‘Marinette Dupain-Cheng isn’t supposed to carry the world at all. She’s just a normal girl with a normal life. If it wasn’t for an old man saddling her with additional responsibility, she’d be the head of every committee in town while managing a star career and a family.’

Adrien’s hand slipped to Marinette’s waist. ‘Marinette Dupain-Cheng has friends and family to help her. Now you need to let them help you.’

‘When you say an old man, do you mean your father, Jagged, or—’

He pinched her playfully. ‘You know who I mean!’

Marinette sat up, laughing through the tears.

Adrien propped himself up. ‘Don’t turn into my father and take responsibility for more than is yours. Deal?’

Marinette punched him gently in the arm. ‘Don’t ever compare me to your father again. But deal.’

‘Good. I’ll walk again, My Lady. And I’ll be there the first time we take Lil’ Bug,’ he put a hand on her belly, ‘up on the roofs of Paris.’ He grinned a Chat Noir smile. ‘Just try and stop me.’

‘I’ll hold you to that promise, you dumb cat.’

‘I expect nothing less, Princess.’

She combed his hair with her fingers, creating some semblance of order. ‘Want to go meet your sister? I think Nathalie’s actually in love.’

‘Probably trying to make up for my father’s behaviour.’

‘He’s pretty besotted. He’s been holding her almost nonstop. I overheard the nurses say it’s a good thing she doesn’t really need the incubator.’

Adrien smiled grimly before pushing the button to summon a nurse.

The nurse helped Adrien from the bed and into the waiting wheelchair. He pushed the patient through the hospital to the maternity wing.

In the private room, Alya sat at the foot of the bed, legs crossed, and a tiny bundle in her arms. She grinned as they wheeled Adrien in. ‘Come to meet the newest member of the family?’

Adrien wheeled across the room. He gave Nathalie a hug as best as he could. ‘Can I hold her?’

Alya handed the baby to him, positioning his arms to cradle the fragile body.

‘I’ve held kids before,’ said Adrien.

‘But have you held your sister before?’ Alya sat back at the foot of the bed. ‘Don’t need to give your dad another reason to burst a blood vessel.’

Nathalie said, ‘He’s going to have a stroke at this rate.’

‘What a shame,’ said Nino, perched in a chair. He blushed at the reprimanding looks sent his way.

‘Where is Gabriel?’ said Marinette.

‘I sent him home for a nap,’ said Nathalie.

Adrien’s face split into the biggest of grins at the baby in his arms. ‘What did you name her?’

‘Hélène Marguerite.’

He looked down at his sister. ‘Welcome to Paris, Hélène. You are going to be one very spoiled little girl.’

Hélène yawned and stretched.

Nathalie said, ‘Gabriel wanted to name her Elsa after Elsa Schiaparelli.’

‘Bad idea,’ said Marinette with a pained expression.

‘They’re already advertising _Frozen 3_ ,’ said Alya.

‘Exactly.’

A commotion from outside caught everyone’s attention.

‘Mademoiselle—’

‘Out of my way,’ said Chloe’s voice. ‘Favourite Vodka Aunt coming through!’

She pushed the door open and stepped inside, a walking bundle of bandages and oddly-coloured ointment. Her hair was cropped almost to her scalp.

Adrien stared.

‘What?’ said Chloe.

‘You look really different without makeup. Or eyebrows.’

Her lips pulled into a smile. ‘You must be feeling better. But where’s my favourite niece?’

Adrien positioned Hélène so Chloe could see her.

She smiled softly at the baby and extended a bandaged hand.

A tiny hand curled around her finger.

Chloe’s face lit up. She looked up at the people in the room. ‘So who’s going to make sure Adrien doesn’t spoil her rotten?’

‘You know it’s not actually my kid, right?’

Chloe gave him a patronizing smile. ‘Adrihoney, please.’

‘You sound just like your mother.’

‘Don’t ever insult me that way again.’

Adrien looked properly admonished.

‘And it’s not as if you won’t obsess over this kid like it’s your own.’ She pulled Hélène’s tiny knitted cap off. ‘Yep, there’s the Agreste forehead all right. Looks like she might have gotten your family nose as well.’

‘Poor kid,’ said Marinette.

‘It’s a perfectly fine nose,’ said Adrien.

‘Sorry, but I have to ask,’ said Nino. ‘Were you anywhere near that bald?’

Adrien shrugged.

‘According to Emilie, your mother,’ said Nathalie, ‘you were born with the thickest hair anyone in the hospital had seen. But your father says he was bald for the first three years of his life. Hélène will most likely be a towhead like he was.’

‘There are worse things to inherit from him,’ said Marinette. She looked up at Nathalie and tilted her head, squinting. ‘What is your natural hair colour anyways?’

Nathalie raised an eyebrow. ‘That is between my hair dresser and myself.’

‘Fair enough. My turn to hold her!’

Adrien handed his sister off. ‘Speaking of secrets,’ he looked over his shoulder to make sure no one else was in the room, ‘how did you get the Peafowl Miraculous, _Mom_?’

‘I’m afraid that’s need to know.’

‘I kind of do.’

Nathalie shook her head.  

‘Uh…’ Nino fiddled with his hat. ‘I gave it to her.’

Adrien’s eyebrows rose. ‘Why?’

‘Dude, she was all alone in that big house with only your dad to protect her from Akumas, Akumas which were targeting your family. I didn’t want—I mean, she’s the closest thing you have to a mom. I don’t care about your dad. I only saved him from Le Paon Rouge because Wayzz told me I had to.’

The Turtle Kwami nodded encouragingly.

‘But I didn’t want you to go through all that pain again.’ Nino adjusted his hat. ‘And you’re so excited about getting a sibling…and you’re finally able to call her “mom”…’

Adrien wheeled across the room and pulled his friend into a tight hug. ‘You’re the best.’

Tears trickled over Nino’s cheeks. ‘Anything for you.’  

 

 

Gabriel reclined in a chair and cradled Hélène to his chest.

Sitting up in her bed, Nathalie said, ‘You have the same look as when you’re especially proud of a new design.’

He looked fondly at the heavily swaddled bundle. ‘You’re not wrong. I’d call this our best collaboration yet.’

‘How romantic of you.’

‘You didn’t marry me for my romantic nonsense.’

‘No, that’s not my type, but you know that.’

Doctor Bonheur knocked on the door before entering. ‘Monsieur, Madame, may I speak with you?’

The parents invited her in.

The doctor clutched the folder to her chest. ‘One of the nurses noticed that Hélène wasn’t responding to noises properly.’ She stood up straighter. ‘Our, uh, our tests have confirmed that she is 80% deaf, most likely due to being born so early.’

Nathalie’s hands clenched the blankets.

Quickly, Dr Bonheur said, ‘Surgery may be able to restore some of her hearing. Hearing aids would take care of whatever surgery cannot fix.’

‘Thank you, doctor,’ said Gabriel. ‘We’ll discuss options for surgery tomorrow.’

The doctor gave a nervous smile before escaping the room.

Gabriel looked at the baby in his arms, his second chance at being a father. His second chance….

He pressed his lips to Hélène’s forehead and handed the baby to Nathalie.

Hélène whimpered before settling into her mother’s embrace.

Nathalie grabbed Gabriel’s hand. ‘Don’t.’

He pulled away, a mask of indifference settling over his features. ‘I’ll fix this. I promise.’  

‘Is that what you told Emilie?’

He flinched. ‘She made me swear to bring her back.’

‘And look at what happened to your life because of that promise!’

‘This time will be different!’

Nathalie’s cheeks turned white. ‘I won’t support you this time.’

‘You never should have needed to.’ Gabriel slipped his hand away. ‘I’ll be back soon.’

He took care to close the door gently.

Nathalie pulled Hélène close and buried her face in the warm bundle. ‘ _Te amo, mija_.’ She traced each of the baby’s tiny fingernails. ‘I don’t think I’ll be a good mother, but I promise to do my best.’

The baby curled against her mother’s chest and made soft sleeping noises.

Nathalie winced as she sat up. All the research in the world still hadn’t prepared her for the discomfort of post-partum. She grabbed her phone and called Nino.

He picked up on the second ring. ‘Hello?’

Alya’s voice could be heard in the background.

Nathalie said, ‘Where are the Miraculouses?’

In a guarded tone, he said, ‘Why?’

‘The doctor just informed us that Hélène is deaf. Gabriel didn’t take it well.’

‘Shit, I’m sorry.’

Nathalie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. ‘I’m afraid, no, I know for a fact that Gabriel is going to try and take the Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculouses. He’s going to make the wish.’

‘Again? Idiot’s like the proverbial record.’

Something crashed in the background.

In a weary voice, Nino said, ‘He doesn’t have any patience for broken people, does he?’ 

‘Never has.’ Nathalie bit her lip.

‘Are you okay? Are you safe?’

‘I am.’ She looked down.

Hélène’s lips suckled the air.

Despite the situation, warmth spilled over Nathalie. Her daughter was dreaming. To Nino, she said, ‘We are. Adrien’s still at the hospital for pre-op before having surgery tomorrow.’

‘Marinette’s sleeping at our place tonight.’

‘If she still has Plagg and Tikki—’

‘She does.’

‘He’s going after her.’

‘We’ll be fine. He doesn’t have a Miraculous.’

‘He does.’

Silence.

‘I’m sorry?’ said Nino.

His rage could be felt over the phone.

‘I saw the brooch when he reje—when he said goodbye. It's active.’

‘Time to suit up, then.’

‘Good luck.’

‘You, too,’ he said tersely.

Nathalie started to hang up but stopped. ‘Nino?’

‘Yeah?’

She took a ragged breath. ‘Whatever it takes. Do whatever it takes to stop him.’

‘With pleasure.’


	29. Alea Iacta Est (The Die is Cast)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It ends now. 
> 
> **Character Death Ahead**
> 
> A.N. 
> 
> In omnia paratus: Ready for anything
> 
> Non desistas non exieris: Never give up, never surrender

Nino hung up the phone and chewed the inside of his cheek.

‘What must we do?’ said Wayzz.

‘It’s thirty minutes from the hospital to here without traffic. At this time of night, there shouldn’t be much.’

‘If he is transformed, it will be much shorter.’

‘I thought you were the Kwami of Protection, not Wisdom.’

Wayzz smiled and patted his Chosen’s cheek. ‘When you have existed as long as I have, it is difficult not to gain wisdom.’

Nino went straight to the living room.

Marinette lay asleep on the sofa, a blanket pulled up to her chin.

Alya sat on the coffee table and gnawed at a knuckle. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘Nathalie called. Gabriel has the Butterfly Miraculous and is coming for Plagg and Tikki.’

‘Well, that won’t do at all,’ said Tikki, crossing her arms. ‘He must have stolen Nooroo from Marinette’s bag.’

Plagg hissed and hovered by Marinette’s ear.

‘We need to get her out of here,’ said Alya. ‘There’s no way this complex can handle a battle.’

‘Can we wake her up?’

Alya shook her head. ‘I gave her a hefty dose of sleeping medication half an hour ago. She’s going to be out for a while.’

She laced her fingers with Nino’s and rested her forehead against his. 'To the end of the line.’

Nino closed his eyes and took a deep breath. ‘Let’s do this. Wayzz, shell on!’

‘Trixx, let’s pounce!’

Green and orange lights flashed. A minute later, Rena Rouge scooped her friend up.

They climbed through the fire escape and onto the roof of the building.

‘Where should we go?’ said Rena Rouge.

‘Let’s go back to where this all started: That monstrosity of a mansion.’

They ran across the rooftops, taking turns carrying Marinette.

Cool night air whipped at their cheeks. Below them, a sleepy Paris started to turn in for the night. The City of Light was ready for bed.

They paused on the rooftop across the street from the mansion.

Safety lights shone from the mansion's windows.

‘Think he’s in there?’ said Carapace, adjusting his hold on Marinette.

‘Guess we’ll find out.’

They found a window on the second floor which opened easily and crept inside.

Alya dropped Marinette onto the bed of the first room they found. It was clean but smelled of disuse.

‘Should one of us stay with her?’ said Carapace.

Rena Rouge rubbed her hands on her legs. ‘Probably, but the idea of splitting up doesn’t seem wise either.’

‘Classic horror movie mistake.’

They didn’t have to wait for long.

Rena Rouge’s fox ears pricked forward at the faint sound of a key in the lock. ‘He’s here.’

Carapace checked on Marinette.

She lay curled around a pillow. Her knuckles were white.

‘Ready?’ he said.

Rena Rouge kissed him. ‘For luck.’

They walked through the mansion to the black and white foyer.

Recessed lighting cast a soft glow on the scene.

The heroes stopped at the landing. A light shone behind them, casting long shadows over the stairs and onto the floor.

Hawkmoth stood in the middle of the room, hands planted firmly on the knob of his cane. ‘Where is she?’

‘Safe from you,’ said Rena Rouge.

‘She will always be safe with me,’ said Hawkmoth. The light glinted off the silver cowl as he tilted his head.

Carapace said, ‘You stole a Miraculous from her bag while she was in the hospital. How is that keeping her safe?’

‘I take care of my own.’

‘Whatever, Patriarch.’

Hawkmoth’s cheeks flamed.

‘You don’t have to do this,’ said Rena Rouge. ‘You can still come back from this decision.’

Hawkmoth looked at gloved hands. ‘My family is destroyed.’

‘How could you say that?’ bellowed Carapace.

A steely glint entered Hawkmoth’s eye. ‘My wife is barely alive, my son is lame, my daughter is deaf, and my daughter-in-law is on the edge of a mental breakdown.’ He looked at the heroes. ‘I need those Miraculouses to fix my mistakes. They shouldn’t have to suffer for my actions.’

‘Every action has a consequence,’ said Carapace. ‘This is yours.’

Hawkmoth straightened his shoulders. ‘To the death?’

Carapace grinned, exposing all of his teeth. ‘For the princess.’

‘Which one?’ said Hawkmoth, lips twitching.

‘Both of them.’

‘Very well. _In omnia paratus_.’

‘Man, shut the hell up,’ said Carapace through gritted teeth. 

Rena Rouge’s ears went back. ‘ _Non desistas non exieris._ ’

Hawkmoth nodded. ‘Indeed.’

Carapace looked from hero to villain and back again. ‘What are you talking about?’

Rena Rouge said, ‘I memorized a bunch of Latin quotes off Pinterest. Figured they’d come in handy for any pretentious fools like this one.’

‘How quaint,’ said Hawkmoth. He flicked his cane into the air and balanced it across his shoulders, a hand on each end.

‘Damn, you look like Chat,’ whispered Rena Rouge.

‘Enough chatter,’ said Hawkmoth. ‘I will have those Miraculouses.’

He walked across the foyer and up the stairs.

Rena Rouge’s ears lay flat against her skull. ‘Try and take them.’

‘With pleasure.’ He lunged with his cane, aiming for Rena Rouge’s belly.

She dodged the blow and jumped onto the mezzanine.

On the backswing, Hawkmoth deflected a blow from Carapace.

Carapace flew across the room and landed against the doors with a thud.

Hawkmoth leapt up to the mezzanine.

Rena Rouge stuck her flute out, tripping him.

He tucked and rolled to a standing position.

Rena Rouge swung her flute like a baseball bat.

Hawkmoth stepped aside, catching Rena Rouge’s knees.

She stumbled.

He pushed her shoulders.

She tumbled over the railing and towards the floor.

Carapace caught her.

They jumped in unison up to the mezzanine, shield and flute at the ready.

Hawkmoth deflected their attacks and drove them back until they balanced on the narrow ledge.

Carapace jumped up and over their opponent, landing on the other side. ‘Give up the Miraculous, Hawkmoth.’

Hawkmoth crouched and knocked the hero’s legs out from under him. With the leftover momentum, he kicked Rena Rouge in the chest. He yanked the flute from her hand.

She gasped as both cane and flute struck her across the face.

With the tip of his cane, Hawkmoth ripped the Miraculous from her neck.

Alya landed hard on her back. She rolled away and into the shadows.

He tucked the necklace beneath his jacket. ‘It’s not much.’

She hissed, exposing her canines.

Carapace ran and jumped on Hawkmoth’s back. His hand fumbled for the Butterfly Miraculous.

Hawkmoth threw him over his back and onto the floor.

‘You should have strategized better,’ said Hawkmoth. He lifted his fist—

A yoyo wrapped around his wrist and pulled.

Hawkmoth landed on the floor and looked up. ‘No.’

A soft purple light glowed from the end of the corridor.

Alya sat up and grinned. ‘You’re totally fucked now.’

Hawkmoth climbed to his feet. ‘Am I now?’ He studied Lady Noire. ‘Come to join the fight?’

Carapace landed beside his friend.

In a voice as old and weary as the earth itself, Lady Noire said, ‘I don’t want to fight anymore.’

‘Neither do I,’ said Hawkmoth. ‘Give me the Miraculouses and all will be as it should.’

She shook her head.

‘I’m sorry; you leave me with no choice.’

‘The age old copout. There is always a choice!’

Hawkmoth conjured a butterfly. It turned from white to black.

Alya screeched and scrambled away as it flew towards her.

Carapace started to run for her, but Lady Noire caught his shoulder. ‘We can’t risk you getting Akumatized.’

The butterfly melted into Alya’s glasses.

Pink butterflies appeared around hers and Hawkmoth’s eyes.

‘Cub Reporter, I’m giving you the story of a lifetime. Get me Lady Noire’s Miraculouses, and you’ll have a story for the ages!’

‘Alya!’

‘Babe! You can fight this!’

Alya transformed into an anthropomorphic bear, glasses perched on her nose, a pencil tucked behind her ear. She roared at the heroes.

‘You take the Akuma,’ said Lady Noire. ‘I’ll deal with Hawkmoth.’

‘You’ve got it.’ Carapace removed his shield and charged at Cub Reporter. He pulled out his shield and blocked the Akuma’s blows.

He staggered beneath her strength. Holding his shield tightly, he pushed the Akuma against the wall.

She swung her arm and tore through a section of the wall.

Dust covered them.

Carapace risked a look up. He staggered back.

Her claws had caught a load-bearing wall.

The mansion groaned.

Carapace looked at Cub Reporter. The light flashed on her glasses.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lady Noire seemed to dance on purple light as she darted around Hawkmoth’s attacks. Her movements were fast but not fast enough.

Carapace did a double-take. Were those white streaks in her hair?

Lady Noire swung her staff. 

Hawkmoth brushed the staff away and lunged.

Carapace frowned. She shouldn’t be so tired already.

Cub Reporter caught Carapace by the shoulder and threw him.

He soared into the air and crashed through office door. He rolled to a stop by the stand-up station.

His arms shook as he climbed to his feet. ‘Damn it!’ He ran back out to the foyer.

Lady Noire grabbed her staff and extended it. It carried her vertically and deposited her by Carapace. Sweat streamed down her face, grey from the building’s dust. ‘He’s stronger.’

‘So are we.’ He put a hand on her shoulder. ‘I know I’m not Chat, but we can do this. Two good friends.’

She smiled. ‘Two _best_ friends.’

She threw her yoyo and wrapped an arm around Carapace’s waist.

They soared to the sculpted rafters sixty feet above.

Lady Noire landed heavily on the wooden beam. She coughed and clutched her side.

Cub Reporter roared and rammed a hand into the wall of the building.

The weakened structure groaned.

‘They’re going to destroy everything,’ said Carapace, resisting the urge to call for Shelter.

‘He’s mad.’ Lady Noire stared at the sight below as the Akuma climbed the wall. ‘He’s well and truly insane.’

Cub Reporter caught Carapace’s ankle and dragged him to the lobby floor with her.

Lady Noire caught his hand but tumbled down with him.

‘Shelter!’

The green orb surrounded them, protecting them against the long drop.

Cub Reporter rolled to her feet.

Carapace pushed himself up from the floor.

Lady Noire spun and knocked the Akuma’s legs out.

Carapace snatched the glasses from Cub Reporter and broke them.  

Lady Noire caught the emerging butterfly and cleansed it.

Carapace grinned. ‘One dow—!’

A hand closed over his cowl and threw him into the dining room.

‘It’s down to us, Lady Noire,’ said Hawkmoth.

She spun her yoyo. ‘Carapace isn’t out of the fight yet.’

‘Not yet, but his time is limited. Once his transformation falls, he’ll be vulnerable, a liability.’

‘And you think that’s going to stop me?’ Blood trickled from Lady Noire’s nose.

She threw her yoyo, aiming for his feet.

Hawkmoth deflected it and grabbed the staff with his left hand. He yanked it from her grip.

Lady Noire rolled across the floor. She coughed.

‘You’re tired.’ He threw the staff away. 'So much power and  you can't even use it correctly.' 

The staff clattered on the remains of the polished marble.

She rested on her hands and knees, coughing, struggling for breath.

‘This family, our family, has been destroyed. One wish could restore it.’

Lady Noire whimpered, breath catching, as she staggered to her feet. One hand covered her stomach. ‘You destroyed it, Gabriel. There’s no one to blame but yourself.’

He hissed and circled around her.

‘You live in the past. You worship Emilie’s memory.’ She limped forward and stopped to lean against what had been the sofa. ‘Has it been worth it?’

His features hardened. ‘Every bit.’

Hawkmoth lunged. The cane caught Lady Noire in the sternum. 

She stumbled back and tripped over a cracked piece of marble.

Lady Noire landed hard.

The cane flew in a downward motion. 

She squeezed her eyes shut.

The floor shattered beneath the force of the blow. Chips of marble scraped her face.

Lady Noire opened her eyes and saw the cane next to her head.

Hawkmoth groaned. ‘Why did it have to be you? Why did it have to be _you_? What sort of force sets a family against itself?’

She pushed up with her elbow. ‘The one who chose to wrong originally.’

‘She made me swear.’

Ladybug forced her eyes open. ‘Wha-what?’

He looked at the cane in his hand. ‘I’ve made my choice.’ He looked at her. ‘I hope you can live with it.’

Lady Noire watched with detached interest as the knob of the cane fell closer.

…closer…

The marble floor was cool, her blood hot and sticky.

A shield flew across the room and knocked Hawkmoth over.

He flipped around and looked about the room. ‘Where are you, Tortue? Don’t be shy.’  His head moved in a reptilian motion.

The Turtle caught up his shield. He slid to a stop by Lady Noire.

Her face was too pale.

‘Guilt consumes her,’ said Hawkmoth. He circled around the heroes, a grim look on his face. ‘The “what ifs” and “if onlys” are eating at her. The first murder is always the hardest.’

‘She saved your loved ones!’ shouted Carapace. ‘She’s carrying your grandchild, for fuck’s sake!’

Lady Noire’s eyes drooped.

‘Did she save them?’ Hawkmoth grimaced. ‘And the child…another innocent caught up in a story so much bigger than it.’

Carapace spat a curse. ‘Sorry, Mar.’ 

He slipped the ring from Lady Noire’s finger and onto his own.

Plagg appeared and looked at Carapace. ‘Not a good idea!’

‘If you can come up with a better one, I’m all ears.’

The Kwami’s ears drooped. He nodded.

‘Plagg, Claws Out.’

Hawkmoth’s eyes widened. ‘I was not expecting that.’

‘So short sighted.’ The Black Turtle rose to his feet. He slammed the staff into the concrete, the shield over his arm. ‘Let’s do this, old man.’

Hawkmoth settled into a stance. ‘ _En garde._ ’ 

They paced about each other, waiting for the other to attack.

The Black Turtle shifted his grip on the staff. He kept Marinette behind him.

It was when he looked down to check on her that Hawkmoth attacked.

Black Turtle ground his teeth, surprised by the force behind the attack. The aging designer was heavier and stronger than expected.

They rolled on the floor, punching, clawing, digging at each other’s exposed flesh.

‘Cataclysm!’

The Black Turtle touched the bubbling energy to his opponent’s chest.

Hawkmoth flew across the room and skidded across the floor. His ragged breathing echoed in the still space.

Black Turtle threw his shield, striking Hawkmoth directly in the face. ‘I can do this all day.’

Hawkmoth dodged the second blow. He batted away the third strike and dodged the oncoming staff. ‘Don’t you have anything original to say?’

‘Anything that isn’t from a campy kid’s show?’

Hawkmoth caught Black Turtle by the throat and pressed him against the wall.

Black Turtle kicked.

A spinning sound filled the air.

Hawkmoth grunted.

They tumbled to the floor.

Ladybug’s yoyo trailed across the floor. The end lay tangled around Hawkmoth’s ankles.

Black Turtle jumped on Hawkmoth.

The two men rolled across the floor, wrestling, struggling for whatever hold they could get. 

Black Turtle pinned Hawkmoth beneath him. He punched him twice in the face.

Hawkmoth gasped.

Black Turtle ground his teeth and grabbed his shield.

He raised it over his head.

Hawkmoth crossed his arms over his face.

He screamed with pain. 

Black Turtle raised his shield again and drove it into Hawkmoth’s chest.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Until the shield lay wedged into the marble floor.

Blood bubbled around the shield’s sharp edge.

Hawkmoth relaxed. His head fell back.

The transformation faded.

Black Turtle yanked the brooch off of the designer’s lapel and rolled onto the floor.

Lying on his back, he looked at the dormant Miraculous. It slipped from his shaking hand and clattered on the floor. 

A roaring filled his ears. Beyond that—blessed stillness.  

The Black Turtle opened his eyes at a scraping sound.

Ladybug crawled across the floor. One leg dragged over the rubble. She put a hand on Gabriel’s forehead.

Her head bowed. ‘Thank you, Nino.’

Black Turtle fumbled for the brooch. His heart broke at the white streaks in her hair. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘It had to be done.’ She closed Gabriel’s eyes. ‘I should have stopped him sooner.’

‘We all had the chance. He was stronger than we knew.’ Black Turtle removed the Black Cat ring from his hand. ‘Here. You need this now.’

She put the ring on.

Plagg sighed heavily at the sight. ‘What a mess.’

‘There’s no way we can play this off,’ said Ladybug, looking up at the shattered remains of the building. ‘The truth will have to come out.’

Carapace rubbed the back of his cowl. ‘Death is the kindest option.’

Ladybug nodded and sniffed.

He helped her stand up. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

Leaning on each other, they staggered to the main entrance.

They saw the police cars first. Then the fire trucks, three ambulances.

A helicopter whirred overhead.

Their transformations gave a final beep.

The night exploded with the clicking of cameras.


	30. The Requiem of Your Defeat

It rained that Thursday, two weeks after the Defeat of Hawkmoth.

When the city of Paris awoke, a mist covered the city.

At breakfast, the mist became a steady drizzle.

By mid-morning, a torrential downpour fell. It seemed appropriate. The funeral of Gabriel Agreste, the most dramatic man in all of Paris, demanded nothing less.

Police escorted the family from the apartment to the funeral home. From the funeral home to the burial site.

Reporters and protestors alike swarmed over the different sites. Fans of the Heroes of Paris pledged their undying loyalty. Many wore black not for Hawkmoth but for the Heroes and their families.

Chloe arrived in her own limousine, a sombrely dressed Nathaniel on her arm. Nino and Alya followed close behind.

No one understood why the family bothered with the ceremony. When the story came out, equal parts anger and sympathy poured over the family.

Blogs, magazines, newspapers, and televised news sources were set for the fiscal year.

_Why didn’t they stop him?_

_How could he betray them?_

_How long did they know?_

_Could they have done more?_

_I hate them._

_The poor dears._

_Poor kids._

_Damn shame Ladybug didn’t use the Miraculous Ladybug charm. The bastard deserves to stand trial for his crimes._

_That poor family._

_It was smart to not use the Miraculous Ladybug charm. They’ve had a rough time._

_Didn’t the wife just have a baby? Poor kid._

_What if they had learned sooner?_

_What if Farfallina hadn’t come back?_

_What if…?_

_What if…?_

_What if…?_

The Heroes of Paris, their civilian identities now public knowledge, stayed close to each other, a unified front against the world. Unconsciously, they built a physical barrier around Adrien, protecting him.

The crowds followed the procession to the burial site, a family plot bought sometime after the Napoleonic wars.

Kubdel brand security patrolled the graveyard. The black-clad figures paced about the perimeter. They walked along the paths, the crackle of their microphones the only break in the silence.

Alix Kubdel waited by the front gate, jaw set against the masses.

The limousine pulled to a stop in front of the gates.

The Gorilla opened the door of the black limousine and held the collapsible wheelchair steady.

Adrien slid from the car and into the chair.

Marinette stepped out, Hélène in her arms.

The baby fussed at the sudden change in temperature. Marinette tucked the blanket around her more securely. She bounced her tiny sister-in-law and made soothing noises.

Nathalie climbed out of the car. Heavy makeup only drew attention to the shadows beneath her eyes and cheekbones. She lowered the veil of her hat and took Hélène from Marinette.

The baby’s wails cut through the muffled conversations.

Marinette took Hélène back and cradled her against her chest. 

The Gorilla opened an umbrella and held it over the family.

Nathalie took his arm and held tightly.

Car doors slammed, echoing in the stillness.

The pall-bearers, four business partners and two stubborn friends, people who could weather such a scandal, went to the hearse.

They collected the casket and carried it up the path to the mausoleum.

Adrien wheeled himself across the paved path to the family mausoleum. Marinette held an umbrella over both of them.

Any necessary words had already been said at the funeral home.

Looking at the dozen or so people gathered, Adrien tried to reassure himself that the funeral would have been small anyways.

He only realised how small it was when they placed the coffin in the mausoleum.

The interment of a corporate giant.

The interment of a terrorist.

His father. The terrorist.

He fought back a wave of nausea.

Marinette placed a hand on his shoulder.

He reached up and held it tightly. He could feel her wedding band through their gloves.

The door slammed shut on the mausoleum. The groundskeeper turned the key in the locks.

People shook the family’s hands, kissed their cheeks, and left.

Jagged Stone, dressed in a sombre suit, simply hugged each of them. For once, the sanguine extrovert stayed silent.

When he hugged Marinette, she burst into tears.

He took Hélène in one arm and walked Marinette to the line of cars, an arm around her shoulders as she cried.

Penny and Nathalie followed close behind. They walked with their arms around each other, old friends weathering yet another tragedy.

Adrien stared at the stone structure. His father’s final resting place.

 _His_ final resting place. Someday.

Not today.

Not any time in the recent past either, thanks to Ladybug.

He propped his chin up with his fists. Black silk gloves covered the bandaged blisters on his palms.

Miguel and Ramona waited with him, the couple extending their umbrella to cover the young man.  

Birds sang somewhere.

The rain danced on fresh green leaves.

The Gorilla returned. He grunted.

Adrien looked up at the old man. Rain coated his glasses, making it difficult to see. ‘Can I have a little longer?’

The Gorilla nodded his head and went back to the car.

A radio crackled somewhere in the deluge.

His toes were long past numb when Adrien shook himself. ‘Can I have a few minutes?’

Ramona bent over and hugged Adrien. ‘Let us know if we can help.’

He nodded, his embrace loose.

Miguel pressed Adrien’s hands between his own. ‘Rise and rise again,’ he said before hugging him. ‘Call me when you’ve made your decision.’

As soon as they left, Plagg emerged from Adrien’s breast pocket. He settled on Adrien’s left hand. His purrs warmed the chilled fingers.

Adrien wheeled his chair closer to the mausoleum. He pressed a hand to the wet stone. ‘I know why you did it. I don’t blame you anymore.’ He looked at Plagg.

The Kwami was soaked but continued to purr.

‘I, uh, I forgive you, Père.’

A small smile crept over his lips. ‘Without you, I never would have found her. We wouldn’t have all the wonderful memories and friendships that we do.’ His fingers curled against the stone. ‘I’m thankful for it all, the good and the bad.’

His hand slipped from the wet stone. ‘I hope you found peace.’

As Adrien rolled through the graveyard, a lightness settled over him. It was over. It was really, truly over.

Marinette waited for him by the car, an umbrella keeping her mostly dry.

Adrien wheeled up to her. He took her hand and kissed it. ‘I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve any of this.’

She leaned over and kissed him. ‘Don’t be, _minou_.’ She smiled shyly. ‘I mean, I got you. That’s not too rotten of a deal.’

Marinette eyed the soaked Kwami on his shoulder. ‘I mean, other than the Camembert.’

Plagg stuck his lower lip out. ‘Five more months until I can eat it in peace.’

‘Provided the baby doesn’t take a fancy to it.’

‘Can we leave the horror stories for another night?’

Adrien shoved the Kwami in his pocket. ‘Where are Jagged and Penny?’

‘They left. Nathalie’s feeding Hélène. Miguel and Ramona are waiting to make sure we leave, I think.’

Adrien waved to the couple.

They waved from their town car.

‘Are you ready to go?’ said Marinette.

‘I think so. My feet are cold.’

They drove through the Parisian rain and to their apartment.

As soon as they entered the apartment, everyone disappeared into their own rooms.

Nathalie and Hélène had taken over the guest room for the foreseeable future. The youngest Agreste had yet to spend a night in the mansion. Her brother was determined that she never should. There was already talk of selling the building and the land it sat on at a much reduced price to the city.

‘Just get rid of it,’ Adrien had told the lawyers. ‘I don’t care how, but we’re never going back there.’

Marinette emerged from the bedroom first, dressed in comfortable slacks and a cardigan.

Nathalie’s phone pinged on the table.

Marinette picked up the phone and read the notification. ‘Nathalie?’

Nathalie put Hélène in the bassinet before emerging.

Plagg and Tikki rushed to cuddle with their new baby.

Nathalie took the phone and inhaled sharply through her teeth.

Adrien appeared at the bedroom door. ‘What is it?’  

‘Stock for _Gabriel_ has fallen to $75 USD a share and is projected to fall even further by closing.’

‘What was it at?’

Nathalie read over the email. She read out loud, ‘“It was at a high of $560 USD per share as of last week. Experts project it to fall even further…”’ Her eyes skimmed further, narrowing at one line. ‘Cowards.’ She tucked her phone in her pocket and set her hat on the dining room table. ‘It’s only fallen because so many shareholders sold their part so quickly over the last few days.’

‘How many shares does the family own?’ said Marinette.

‘Between Gabriel, Adrien, and myself, we own just under sixty percent,’ said Nathalie. ‘Gabriel’s shares will be split between Adrien and Hélène once the will—’ Her breath caught in her throat.  

Adrien put a hand on his step-mother’s arm. ‘You saw it coming.’

Nathalie rubbed her arms. ‘He always had a one-track mind. Idiot.’ She looked back at the email. Her lips made a thin line. ‘We’ll be fine. Just another bump in the road. _Gabriel_ is a small part of Agreste Empire.’

She spun the wedding ring on her hand. ‘We’ll be fine.’

 

 

It was early afternoon when Adrien fell asleep on the couch, Hélène curled up on his chest.

A movie played on the laptop.

Marinette and Nathalie slipped from the apartment.

Alya and Nino and Tom and Sabine met them at the corporate office for Agreste Fashions.

Everything of relative value had been carefully salvaged from the mansion and left in two of the deserted loading docks. 

Nathalie gave everyone lists and detailed maps. ‘Put blue tape on each of the items on the list. If you have questions, Marinette or I will help.’

‘What about all of the records and files?’ said Alya, eyeing the oversized boxes of records.

‘I’ll take care of those personally. For now, just take care of what’s on the list.’

Marinette followed Nathalie to the second loading dock. Racks of clothing, most in some form of protective covering, filled the room.

Nathalie clicked her tongue. ‘We should have done this years ago.’

‘You’ve been busy,’ said Marinette.

The women immediately set about sorting through the clothing. Priceless couture, early samples, and everyday items had been mixed together. The two worked quietly and carefully through it all, deciding what was to be sold or donated to museums and private collections or kept for the company’s archives.

Nathalie faltered once: When Marinette pulled out the Black Peacock dress, wrapped carefully in its cloth cover, the train hooked neatly over the hanger.

‘It’s the last dress he made you.’ Marinette ran a hand over the embroidery, embroidery she had helped with. ‘What do you want to do with this?’

Emotions fought over Nathalie’s face. ‘Set it on the Keep rack. I’ll decide later.’

Ten minutes later, she pulled out a vintage-style cocktail dress.

‘When was that?’ said Marinette. 

Nostalgia settled over Nathalie’s face. ‘I wore this the last night in Milan.’ She smoothed out the summer-weight wool.

‘You were both happy that night.’

Nathalie’s eyes blinked rapidly. She nodded.

Marinette placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘You can cry. It’s okay to miss him.’

Nathalie gave a high-pitched giggle. ‘You don’t know. Oh, God!’ The giggle turned into a hysterical laugh.

‘Know what?’

‘He rejected us that night. He rejected _all_ of us. Why should I mourn him, let alone miss him?’ Nathalie collapsed on the floor and buried her face in the dress, trying to stifle her laughter. ‘Oh, God…’

Marinette ran for her parents. 

 

 

At the apartment, Hélène woke up screaming. 

Plagg and Tikki rushed to comfort the hysterical baby.

‘We need Nooroo,’ said Tikki. ‘He can help.’

Adrien called Alya and Nino.


	31. Those Left Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's over. Time to pick up the pieces.

_~April~_

 

The Butterfly Miraculous should have been packed away, allowing Nooroo much needed rest amongst his brothers and sisters.

Plans changed with the very sudden manifestation of Hélène’s empathic abilities, abilities which should have revealed themselves much, much later. Whoever was responsible for the baby found themselves wearing the Miraculous, allowing Nooroo to help her with the emotions she didn’t understand.

Alya walked around the apartment, an exhausted Hélène in her arms and a Miraculous at her throat. The baby had finally cried herself to sleep, but Alya didn’t dare set her down. There were too many emotions for the tiny empath to handle, even with Nooroo comforting her.

At least walking and caring for Adrien’s sister kept her mind busy. Otherwise she would be pacing the corridors at the Palace of Justice or gnawing her nails to nothing while staring at the TV.

A cup of cold coffee sat on the table.

On the TV screen, talking heads debated the trial of the year.

‘Yes, they are heroes. They’ve saved the city countless times,’ said the guest expert. ‘But murder is murder! Simply having special powers shouldn’t disregard that fact.’

Another member of the panel said, ‘There is no way the charges can stick. Both Farfallina and Hawkmoth proved that they were not going to stop unless stopped themselves. Hawkmoth’s sudden emergence after Farfallina’s death cannot be a coincidence.’

‘And what of the coincidence of Ladybug being his daughter-in-law? Chat Noir was his son and the other heroes close friends.’

‘There’s no evidence that they knew anything about his identity.’

The facilitator said, ‘Ladies, gentlemen, please remember that the fact of the matter is that Ladybug and Carapace are on trial for killing terrorists, not for their relationship to Hawkmoth.’

Hélène whimpered in her sleep.

‘You’re right.’ Alya picked up the remote and changed the channel to a documentary. ‘We don’t need to be anymore stressed.’

Hélène reached out and smacked Alya’s face with a mittened hand. She blinked and cooed, visibly happier at Alya’s slightly reduced stress levels.

‘You should be sleeping,’ said Alya sternly. ‘Nathalie is going to be pissed that you didn’t nap.’

Nooroo stretched and adjusted his position against Hélène’s cheek. ‘She knows.’

‘Does she?’

The tiny Kwami smiled. ‘As much as she can.’

Alya continued to pace, one eye on her phone. No messages, no missed calls.

Trixx swallowed a blackberry nearly as big as him. ‘Relax. We’ll find out soon enough.’

‘I know…I should have taken up my sisters’ offer to have them babysit.’ Alya tapped the phone against her leg. ‘I should be there for them.’

She jumped when the phone buzzed. She opened up the video chat to see Sabine. ‘What did they decide?’

Tears glittered in Sabine’s eyes. ‘They’re okay. All charges were cleared against them. Nino’s on his way home now.’

Alya sagged against the wall and slid to the floor, crying with relief. Nino and Marinette were coming home.

As her favourite people released their tension, Hélène relaxed and slept for two days straight.

 

 

_~May~_

 

Cool night air tugged at Adrien’s hair and clothes. He stared at the cigarette and lighter in his hands.

Plagg munched on a plate of Camembert.

Adrien clicked the lighter but snapped the cigarette in half. ‘I need help.’ He buried his face in his hands and rubbed his temples. ‘Plagg?’

‘Nuh-uh.’ Plagg swallowed his slice of cheese and licked his paws clean. ‘This is something you have to do on your own.’

‘Why can’t you help me?’

Whiskers twitching, Plagg buzzed over to his Chosen. ‘Look, kid, it’s been a few months since you buried him. Marinette and Nino are in the clear.’ His ears drooped. ‘I don’t want to lose another kitten to mourning.’

Adrien chewed on the cuff of his sweater, a resurfaced tic from childhood.   

‘ _Arrorró mi niño, arrorró mi sol…_ ’

Sleeve in his mouth, Adrien looked over his shoulder and into the living room.

Nathalie paced around the room, singing softly to a fussy Hélène.

Adrien rested his chin on his hand. Even though he couldn’t understand it, Nathalie singing to Hélène in Spanish calmed him as well. A two for one deal, if ever there was.

Plagg nuzzled his neck.

‘… _A_ _rrorró pedazo, de mi corazón…_ ’ Nathalie looked up and through the open door to the balcony. ‘Ah, so you’re the source of her distress.’

Adrien looked guilty.

‘Can’t sleep?’ The breeze played with the strands of hair escaping from Nathalie’s braid.

Adrien shoved the broken cigarette into his pyjama pockets. ‘No more than you can.’

Nathalie’s eyes flicked from his clenched hands to his face. ‘New-borns aren’t known for following a standard schedule.’

‘You must hate that.’

She adjusted Hélène’s blanket. ‘It’s certainly different. Strictly structured eighteen-hour days are meant for a season, not for a lifetime.’

The breeze teased Adrien’s hair.

A minute later, he realised Nathalie’s fingers were smoothing his hair.

He lay his head against her hip. ‘I love you, Mom.’

Her fingers continued without hesitating. ‘I love you, too, Adrien.’

Girlfriend-turned-wife hugs were amazing, friend hugs were awesome, but sometimes, sometimes, Mom-branded hugs were the only thing that mattered. And as lovely and wonderful as Sabine was, she still wasn’t his mom. She didn’t understand the same way Nathalie did.

Nathalie had lived through it. They shared the same demons, the same emotional scars.

Adrien shivered. His limbs twitched, desperate for sleep.

‘Come inside.’

Nathalie sat on the couch and motioned to the spot beside her.

Adrien obeyed and sat where indicated.

Nathalie continued the song, cradling Hélène to her chest. ‘ _A la nanita nana nanita ella, nanita ella …_ ’

Hélène stretched and yawned. Her head flopped back onto her mother’s chest. She blinked at her brother. Studying him. 

Adrien tentatively lay his head against Nathalie’s shoulder. As she continued to sing the repetitive, hypnotic melody, his eyelids grew heavier.

‘… _A la nanita nana nanita ella_ …’

He woke up to sunshine streaming through the open window.

Marinette perched on a kitchen stool and smiled at him. ‘Morning, sunshine.’

Adrien sat up and stretched. His neck was stiff, but he felt better rested than since…since a long time.

‘I need therapy.’

Marinette gulped her coffee.  ‘Do you want it?’

‘No, but I need it.’ He looked at his hands and laughed. ‘Chloe told me to go to therapy months ago.’

‘Why didn’t you?’

‘I’m pretty sure needing to report on the identity of a past or active terrorist would trump any confidentiality agreements. He’s dead now.’ Adrien studied his fingers.  

Marinette slipped off the stool and curled up beside him. ‘We’re safe now, _chaton_.’ She closed her eyes and held tightly. ‘We’re safe.’

 

 

Nathaniel knew that he was not assertive. When it had come to breaking up with Marc, both had been so passive that they simply moved out and never officially broke up.

But the sight of Chloe wearing yet another turtleneck (in what was practically summer, no less) was enough to test even the most mild-mannered of artists.

Nathaniel’s jaw clenched. The thin paintbrush in his mouth snapped and shattered into splinters. ‘Ow,’ he muttered before fishing out the rubble.

Chloe looked up from her coffee. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Fine.’ He spit out a piece of wood. ‘Actually, no, I’m not fine.’

‘What’s wrong?’

‘You’re wearing a turtleneck. A _grey_ turtleneck! You hate grey.’

She pulled the turtleneck over her chin. ‘I’m not feeling up to my normal self.’

Nathaniel knew that his upper-body strength came from carrying canvas and holding charcoal in awkward but exacting positions. But today, the rage of a thousand marble-wielding artists filled him.

Two minutes later, he had wrestled control of the offending clothing item and disappeared into their room, determined to find the rest of its brethren.

Chloe, wearing a black tank top, ran after him. ‘What are you doing?’

‘Making sure you remain yourself.’ Nathaniel dug through the closet and laundry basket. He found four more turtlenecks. ‘Did you order the ugliest thing you could find online?’

‘They’re safe!’

‘Damn it, Chloe!’ Nathaniel jumped at the sound of his own voice.

She stared at him, mouth open.

He stammered, felling his face grow warm. ‘You’re—’ He licked his lips and stood up straight. ‘You’re Chloe Fucking Bourgeois. Act like it.’

'Wow.' She stared before turning red. ‘You have never been so hot before.’

Nathaniel’s cheeks were so warm that he wasn’t sure how he didn’t spontaneously combust.

His nose did start bleeding.

He shoved his face into the armful of shirts. ‘Go to the stylist. Don’t come back until you’re yourself.’

Chloe tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. ‘Are you telling me to be my shallowest self?’

‘I’m telling you to find yourself again! Don’t come back until you’re yourself or this relationship is over.’

‘You can’t—’

Nathaniel dropped the bloody shirts and took her face in his hands. ‘Chlo…I mean it. You’re my fighter. Don’t surrender and die on me.’

A smile teased the corner of his mouth.

‘Don’t prove your mom right.’

The blue fire blazed anew in Chloe’s eyes. She straightened her shoulders and put her hands on her hips. ‘Don’t wait up for me.’

‘I look forward to it.’

When the door slammed behind her, Nathaniel locked himself in the bathroom with a pair of tweezers and half of a bottle of whiskey. There were splinters in need of eviction.

 

 

_~July~_

 

Adrien pushed the door open and wheeled himself into the counsellor’s office.

Dr Maravilla looked up from her tablet and smiled. ‘Good afternoon, Adrien.’

He parked his chair on the other side of the desk. ‘Hi.’

She smoothed her skirt out. ‘How has everything been since our last session?’

Adrien fiddled with his glasses and tapped them against his leg. ‘Well, I went up another kilo and a half. The more Marinette puts on, the more I put on. My in-laws say it’s sympathy weight.’

‘How does that make you feel as a former model? As a new husband and soon-to-be father?’

‘Shopping for new clothes sucks.’

The psychologist smiled. ‘I understand.’

‘It’s hard not to stress about putting on weight. I know I should because it’s my 20s, not my teens anymore, plus I’m not Chat Noir anymore and I’m stuck in this chair and I keep hearing my parents—my dad and Emilie, not Nathaliewell, maybe her Eyebrows of Disappointment—and other people nagging me about putting on weight—’

He took a deep breath. ‘I’m stressed.’

‘It’s not uncommon to put on weight when coping with stress or dealing with an unsafe situation. It’s a survival instinct.’

‘Even in the aftermath?’

‘Especially in the aftermath. The pregnancy is simply another layer to your already full plate. Given how much you love Marinette, it’s no surprise that you’re having sympathy weight gain.’

‘So it should all go away after the birth?’

‘Theoretically. Or it may remain.’

Adrien rubbed his fledgling beard. ‘I guess we could market the Dad Bod as the new thing.’

‘I thought your company wasn’t involved with the industry at this point.’

‘Well, no, but my mom—my step-mom—and Marinette are working overtime to make sure that we’re still credible when we come back.’ He ran a hand over the frayed cuff of his sleeve.

Dr Maravilla removed her wire-framed glasses. ‘Adrien, we’ve been meeting for almost three months now. What is your goal in being here?’

He bit his lip, trying to hold back tears. ‘I want…I want to be there when we take our daughter up to the roofs of Paris for the first time as Ladybug and Chat Noir. And for every time after that.’

She tilted her head.

‘The doctors and my physical therapist say that physically I’m more than ready to walk.’ He tapped his temple. ‘It’s up here that’s causing the block. But you already knew that, I’m guessing.’

‘How long until Marinette plans on taking your daughter to the rooftops?’

Adrien looked out the window.

Children laughed and played in the park below.

‘Marinette will wait until I’m ready.’

‘And when do you want to be ready?’

Dr Maravilla slid a box of tissue across the desk.

Adrien took one and shredded it. ‘As soon as possible.’ He wiped his nose. ‘Is that what you’re saying? That I’m not willing to find the motivation for myself?’

‘What do you think?’

 

 

_~August~_

 

Chloe had finally managed to fall asleep despite the oppressive late-summer heat when her phone buzzed.

Her eyes sprang open. She grabbed her phone and squinted at the bright light. She gasped at the message. ‘Nathaniel!’ She smacked her sleeping boyfriend’s butt.

He didn’t react, his breathing remaining even.

‘Nathaniel!’ She smacked him again.

‘Hmph?’ He hit his head on the headboard’s shelf. ‘Fuck, why do we have that there?’

‘Never mind that! Marinette’s in labour.’ Chloe turned on the lamp and shed her nightgown before pulling on street clothes.

Nathaniel squinted. ‘Wha?’

She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled, just as he liked it.

He made a strangled sound in his throat. ‘You have my attention?’

‘Marinette. Baby. Labour. Hospital.’

‘Uh-huh?’

‘Eyes up here, Tomato.’

He blushed.  

‘Get dressed.’

‘It’s the middle of the night.’ He yawned. ‘Delivery can take hours.’

‘Nathaniel Kurtzberg, don’t make me send in Pollen to wake you up!’

The Kwami zoomed in at the sound of her name. ‘What’s happening?’

Chloe yanked a jacket on. ‘Marinette’s having her baby! Sabine just texted.’

Pollen squealed and shot around the room, little better than a squealing ball of yellow fluff.

Nathaniel caught the Kwami. ‘I’m awake. Give me coffee and I’ll be excited for this as well.’ He stood still and yawned until his jaw popped. ‘Haven’t we seen enough of hospitals for a while?’

‘We won’t have to see much of them after tonight.’

‘Thank God.’

They found the rest of the Miraculous family at the hospital already when they arrived. Hélène slept in Tom’s arms, Nooroo clutched in her hand. Soft blonde fuzz had finally sprouted on her head.

Nathaniel stopped and stared. ‘Nino?’

Nino stopped his pacing. The Butterfly Miraculous winked on his collar. ‘What?’

‘Where’s your hat?’

Nino reached up. ‘I knew I forgot something.’ He shrugged. ‘No matter.’

Nathaniel’s mouth fell open. ‘What do you mean—?’

Alya shook her head. ‘Leave it. He’s all worked up over Marinette being okay.’

Sunlight had spilled over Paris when Sabine joined everyone. She went straight to Tom and threw her arms around his neck. ‘We have a granddaughter!’

Tom embraced his tiny wife.

Hélène squeaked and protested at being crushed.

The Gorilla took the baby and walked her around the waiting room.

Nathaniel curled his pinkie around Chloe’s. ‘Are you crying?’

‘Nope. But Pollen is.’

Chloe opened her jacket to expose the bawling Kwami.

Alya held out a tissue.

Pollen, Wayzz, and Trixx shared the tissue and sobbed into it with happiness.

Wayzz wiped his eyes said, ‘You all will be needed to take care of the baby.’

‘I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,’ said Nino.

‘Both of them,’ said Wayzz sternly.

‘There are five of us, two of them, two grandparents, Nathalie, and a watch-gorilla the size of a small boulder,’ said Alya. ‘Not a problem.’

The Gorilla grunted.

Trixx shook his head. ‘I remember the last time I heard those words.’

‘What happened?’ said Nathaniel.

‘The baby had the ability to turn invisible.’

Alya raised an eyebrow. ‘Say what?’

Pollen made scolding noises. ‘You promised Tikki to never speak of that again!’

‘It wasn’t my fault!’

‘You can’t blame _everything_ on hormones.’

‘No, but the heat of battle makes for a fine oven!’

Nino rubbed his temples. ‘I don’t even want to know.’

‘The twelfth century was rough for everyone,’ said Wayzz.

‘Anyways,’ said Chloe, ‘back to the newest addition to the Miraculous nursery.’ She turned to Sabine. ‘Do they have a name?’

‘Louise.’ Sabine wiped her eyes. ‘Louise Dupain-Cheng.’

 

 

~ _November~_

 

‘Nino! Will you get the door?’ called Alya from the bathroom.

‘Just a second!’ He set the dial on the toaster oven and ran for the door. He threw it open. ‘Dude!’ A grin covered his features. ‘You’re—you’re standing!’ His eyes filled with tears as he pulled his friend in for a hug.

Adrien nearly dropped his cane, happy to be able to hug his friend from a vertical position again. ‘Therapy is a bitch.’

‘I’m sure that doesn’t cover it. Alya’s going to be over the moon.’

Adrien followed his friend inside.

Alya poked her head out of the bathroom. ‘Adrien!’ Wrapped in a dressing gown, she ran and hugged him. She stepped back and looked him up and down. ‘You’re going to need that to beat off all the women hounding you. You look great!’

Adrien laughed nervously and ran a hair over his lengthening locks. His hair was swept back from his forehead, the ends brushing the collar of his jacket. ‘I hope not.’

‘What does Plagg think?’

‘Monsieur Plagg thinks that he’s entitled to being a fashion critic now and is attempting to dress me as Chat Noir in my civilian wardrobe.’

‘Can’t be worse than when you dress yourself,’ said Alya.

A snicker sounded from inside Adrien’s jacket.

When Alya disappeared to get dressed, Nino grabbed his best friend by the shoulders. ‘Dude, if you’re going to walk with a cane, please, please, tell me one thing: Did you get a sword cane?’

Adrien mustered up the most serious face he could manage. ‘Am I fan of anime?’

Nod.

‘Did we not spend part of a summer pretending to be the Rooks from Assassin’s Creed?’

Nod.

‘Am I not Chat Noir, the Defender of Paris and Bearer of the Sacred Stick?’

Questioning look, then nod.

‘Then what sort of person do you think I am?’

‘Look, man, you’ve been through a lot…’

Adrien grinned, exposing his eye-teeth. ‘I have two on order along with the refurbishment of a Victorian sword-stick.’

Nino slapped Adrien’s shoulder. ‘My boy is back! What about a cape?’

‘Give Marinette five minutes.’ Adrien grabbed his friend’s shoulder. ‘Can I sit down now?’

Plagg floated out and said, ‘He almost passed out on the stairs.’

'Plagg!'

‘Dude, I am so sorry! Sure, grab a chair or the couch. Want any coffee?’

Nino disappeared into the kitchen, Wayzz following in hopes of tea.

Adrien took a deep breath and looked at the new, custom-made cane. He felt proud of the hand-carved wooden...staff. His new staff.

The black knob at the top gleamed with polish.

As he studied it, the light caught a carving at the top.

Adrien’s heart sank to his toes.

The carving of a butterfly covered the top.

A black butterfly.

He tucked the cane under the couch as Nino came back, coffee in hand. 

 

 

_~February~_

 

Blue and orange-tinted winter light reflected through the large windows and onto Marinette’s desk. Beneath her pencil, an embroidery pattern took shape. Working and planning relaxed her. It distracted her from the ghosts which lingered in the corners.

Tikki had been more helpful than any of the three therapists she had spoken with at silencing the memories. Recovery was slow and well worth it.  

The whimpering of an infant broke Marinette’s concentration. She spun on her stool and watched the Kwamis shoot into the nursery, whispering furiously to each other.

Adrien limped out of the bedroom. ‘I’ve got it.’ He returned from the nursery a minute later, a squalling Louise in arm. ‘Hush, _ma petite_.’

‘I can feed her,’ said Marinette.

‘Are you sure? I can heat up a bottle.’

Marinette took the wriggling infant and lifted her shirt.

Louise latched on and suckled excitedly.

Adrien rubbed a hand over Marinette’s back and kissed her head. ‘I’ll wait to burp her.’

‘Thanks.’ She rubbed her eyes, smearing graphite on her face. ‘I’ll be back to bed soon. I don’t want to lose this idea.’ 

‘Hey, I understand.’

She rested her head against his chest, thankful for the warmth of his arms. ‘I’m not hiding, I promise.’

He kissed her before stretching out on the couch and dozing.

Marinette sketched away, filling in details. Learning to nurse while designing had made her life significantly easier. This new normality, a strange, new world in itself…

She glanced at her dozing husband with his useless nipples.

He looked good with a beard.

A few minutes later, Louise stretched and blinked sleepily. She cooed at her mother.

Plagg flew over to Adrien and pounced on him. ‘There’s a civilian in need of your help, Chat Noir.’

‘Fmurk Erf,’ muttered Adrien from beneath a pillow.

Tikki flew over and tugged on Adrien’s hair. ‘Up, up, up! Don’t keep Ladybug waiting.’

Adrien rolled off the couch and collected a blanket and his daughter.

‘Don’t drop her,’ said Marinette, patting his cheek.

‘You wound me, My Lady.’ He settled Louise on his shoulder and took her back to their room.

Marinette smiled before turning back to her design. Her left hand closed over her belly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lullabies are "Arrorro mi niño" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XipVAKPjy70 ) and A La Nanita Nana ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUK3wkY45OM ).


	32. Kwamis Need Closure, Too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Sometimes we need more than one chapter for full closure.’

Adrien was in the middle writing an email when Louise started wailing in the next room.

He set the tablet aside and went to the girls’ bedroom. ‘What happened?’

Big tears spilled down Louise’s face. She crawled to her father and tugged on his trousers.

Adrien picked Louise up and groaned at the goose egg already forming on her forehead. ‘This is what I get for telling Nathalie that I’m more than capable of watching you.’ He signed to his sister, ‘Hélène, what happened?’

Hélène sat on the bed and stared at her niece with Agreste-branded disappointment. Dolls and stuffed animals sat in a circle on the bed. She saw her brother’s question and signed back, ‘She fell.’

‘I can see that!’ Adrien looked through the room and found Hélène’s hearing aids.

She frowned but sat still as he put them in and turned them on.

Louise fussed and rubbed her face on Adrien’s shirt, smearing snot everywhere.

‘I thought you’d be done with ruining my shirts at this age.’

She pulled at his glasses, covering them in tiny fingerprints.

Adrien pulled his head away. ‘Plagg? Where are you?’

Hélène giggled and yanked a stuffed dinosaur off the bed, dislodging the dozing Kwami. 

Plagg yelped and flew into the air. He stuck his tongue out at Hélène.

‘Plagg, keep an eye on Hélène.’

‘Sure,’ groaned the Kwami. ‘Tikki gets to go listen in on discussions about fabrics and business projections—’

‘Quit your whining. I know you love it.’

‘You were more fun before the beard.’

Adrien stroked the carefully trimmed item ‘I happen to know a certain Ladybug is very fond of it.’

‘You just wear it so you look less like your father.’

‘Low blow, Plagg. Low blow.’

Plagg looked at Hélène. ‘Fine, I’ll watch her.’ He pointed at Louise. ‘But keep that one away from my cheese!’

Louise laughed, the bump on her head already healing and forgotten. ‘Cam! Cam!’

Plagg shuddered.

Ten minutes later, Adrien sat on the couch with his tablet. Louise sat on his lap and played with a homemade version of Tikki.

Hélène walked out of her room, clutching a book. She climbed onto the couch and tugged on Adrien’s sleeve.

‘What is it?’

She pointed to a page in the book. It showed a family in a park.

Hélène pointed from the picture of the father to Adrien. ‘Papa?’

Adrien wrapped an arm around his sister. ‘No,’ he pointed to himself, ‘Adrien.’

She frowned and pointed at Louise before pointing at him. ‘Papa?’

‘Yes, I’m Louise’s papa.’

Hélène’s forehead puckered. Carefully, she signed, ‘Where is my papa?’

Adrien felt physically ill. ‘Well, our pa—’ He choked on the word. ‘Our Père is—is—’ He fumbled for the word before grabbing his phone. ‘Siri, how do I explain death to a sixteen-month-old?’

He looked through the different sources.

Hélène continued to watch him, her face serious. She had already learned to imitate Nathalie’s unique eyebrow crinkle.

Louise snuggled with Plagg and sucked on his ear.

Plagg finally stretched and said, ‘Just tell her that he’s dead. She won’t understand death for a few more years yet.’

Adrien stared at the memo on the welcome screen of his phone.

 _Father’s Day_ _(International)_ reminded the AI.

Right. That’s why they were having dinner with Tom and Sabine later.

He tapped the phone against his head. They hadn’t celebrated it last year.

‘You should visit him,’ said Plagg.

‘I already said my goodbyes.’

‘Sometimes we need more than one chapter for full closure.’ Plagg wriggled out of Louise’s grip.

‘Fine.’ He helped Hélène off the couch. ‘Let’s go see Père.’

She tilted her head, blinking her big blue eyes.

He signed, ‘Get your shoes.’

Plagg cleared his throat. ‘May I make a request?’

‘There’s plenty of Camembert in the refrigerator.’

‘It’s not that.’ Plagg twiddled his paws. ‘Could we take Nooroo with us? Kwamis need closure, too.’

Adrien studied him for a moment. As the family’s stress levels reduced, so did Hélène’s need for the Butterfly Kwami, allowing him to rest with his brothers and sisters. Finally, Adrien said, ‘Sure.’

He picked up his phone and dialled a number. ‘Hey, Nino, it’s me. Are you busy right now?’

Two hours and two stops later, Adrien held Hélène’s hand as they walked through the graveyard. At the last moment, he had grabbed the cane with the carved butterfly on the top.

His stomach felt like a never-ending knot, his own emotions blending with the emotions caught by the Butterfly Miraculous at his collar.

The Gorilla followed a few steps behind. Louise burbled from the papoose carrier, smiling adoringly her protector.

Plagg and Nooroo hid beneath Adrien’s jacket.

‘Are we there yet?’ said Plagg after ten minutes of silence.

‘Quiet,’ said Adrien. ‘There are people here.’

The sight and smell of white roses on different graves made him sick. Red for the living, white for the dead.

Hélène clutched two white roses in her free hand. She put them up to her nose and pretended to smell them. When her brother didn’t respond, she pouted and let them drag on the ground.

‘Pick them up, Hélène. Do you want to ride with Gorilla?’

She shook her head and held the roses nicely.

They finally reached the mausoleum. 

Adrien made a mental note to install a bench. For now, he sat on the grass. His back and legs—everything, really—hurt from the hike.

Hélène plopped onto the grass and mirrored her brother.

Plagg slipped out from the jacket’s protection and sat on Adrien’s knee. He patted Hélène’s knee and pointed at the stone building. ‘There’s your papa. He died. You may meet him someday.’

Nooroo crept out from the shelter of Adrien’s jacket, eyes fixed on the mausoleum. ‘Thank you for bringing me today, Chat Noir.’

‘Plagg suggested it. Something about you needing it just as much as Hélène.’

The Kwami nodded understandingly.

‘He can’t hurt you again,’ said Adrien. ‘Any of us.’

He grabbed a handful of grass and scattered it in the breeze.

The Gorilla removed Louise from her papoose and set her on the grass.

She crawled to a clump of flowers, staining her white tights.

Nooroo flew to the metal doors, hesitated, and phased through.

‘What’s he doing?’ said Adrien.

Plagg said, ‘Kwamis have a ritual to honour the passing of a Wielder.’

‘But my father abused Nooroo and the Butterfly Miraculous.’

‘Calm down, kid. I know. Nooroo knows. But it’s still something we do. It allows us to move on to our next Chosen. It closes the chapter, so to speak.’

Adrien looked down at his Kwami. ‘Do you need to go with him?’

Plagg shook his head. ‘It’s best done alone.’

A family passed by.

Hélène stared as a father ran past, his son sitting on his shoulders.

Adrien followed his sister’s gaze. Even thought she had her hearing aids in, he signed, ‘I’m sorry.’

She patted his arm and smiled brightly.

When Louise saw her father’s tears, she sat in a patch of grass and burst into tears.

Hélène looked from one to the other before crawling to the younger girl and hugging her.

The Gorilla picked up the girls, holding one in each arm. He grunted to Adrien before walking down the path amongst the other graves.

Adrien wiped at his face. ‘This sucks.’

‘Healing takes time.’ Plagg settled on Adrien’s hand. ‘You said you have peace, but your emotions have to catch up with your brain.’

Adrien winced at the wave of emotions assaulting him from the graveyard’s entrance. Fresh grief. How overwhelming would it be once transformed? How much could Hélène sense, let alone understand?

Plagg’s eyes followed the tells on Adrien’s face. His ears drooped. He had made a mistake asking for Nooroo to come, to let Adrien wear the brooch.

Adrien had never been allowed to wear the brooch.

The Kwami mentally kicked himself. _Stupid, stupid, STUPID!_

Adrien looked at the mausoleum, thinking of all the things he wanted to tell his father: How Hélène would remove her hearing aids and close her eyes to ignore Nathalie or when they couldn’t find Louise because she had fallen asleep behind the sacks of flour at the bakery. Or his physical and mental therapy, Marinette’s latest work for her delayed collection, or even…

‘You’re going to have a grandson in a few months,’ said Adrien. ‘I wish you could meet him. I wish you could meet all of them. Hélène needs a dad. She doesn’t understand yet, but she will.’

He ran his hands over the grass. ‘Part of me is jealous; she doesn’t have you in her life because you’re dead. But I remember you, remember the excitement of seeing you and doing something with you and I’m sorry she’ll never have that chance.’

He fiddled with the Miraculous at his neck. ‘Nathalie told us what you said at the hospital, that you rejected us for our defects. And then it’s all better. You died because of your decision.’

A bird chirped.

‘I still miss you, Père.’

When the Gorilla returned with the girls, Adrien stood with his hands on the cane, the roses clasped tightly in one hand.

Hélène wriggled until the Gorilla set her down. She ran to her brother and wrapped an arm around his leg. ‘Ree?’

‘Come on. Let’s say hello to Père.’

Hand in hand, they walked up to the stone steps. They set the roses in the flower holder of the mausoleum.

Hélène frowned at the building but walked up and patted the top step.

Nooroo reappeared. The purple Kwami seemed to glitter in the bright sunshine.

Hélène grabbed him and hugged him. ‘Plagg!’ She jumped onto the grass and spun in circles.

Nooroo giggled as they spun until Hélène plopped down, dizzy and laughing.

Plagg floated over to Nooroo. ‘If it makes you feel any better, she calls Tikki that, too.’ He looked smug. ‘Mine’s the easier name.’

The Butterfly Kwami _humphed_ good naturedly. He nuzzled Hélène’s cheek.

The Gorilla grunted.

Adrien checked the time. ‘Thanks, Arthur. Time to see Pépé and Mémé, girls.’

‘Pépé! Mémé!’ squealed Hélène.

Louise clapped her hands. ‘Cookie!’

‘Sure,’ said Adrien, kissing his daughter’s head. ‘You don’t know “papa” but you know “cookie”.’

The Gorilla chuckled before picking up the girls.

Hélène yawned and lay her head on the huge man’s shoulder.

Nooroo hovered by the little girl, smiling. His own little caterpillar. ‘Such a pragmatic empath.’ He giggled. ‘I guess I shouldn’t expect anything less from those two. She’s going to be an absolute force of nature.’

Adrien smiled at his sister. ‘She already is.’  

‘I wish…’ Nooroo looked embarrassed.

‘What?’

‘I wish—Dusuu and I talked about wanting to be here all the time, just like Plagg and Tikki are for Louise. Dusuu is quite possessive of her chicks.’

Adrien touched the Miraculous at his throat. ‘Maybe someday you can.’

Marinette was waiting for them when they arrived at the bakery. When he climbed out of the car, she pulled him in for a kiss before holding out three red roses. ‘Happy Father’s Day, _minou,_ ’ she said, smoothing a stray hair from his face.

Louise jumped into her mother’s arms and snuggled close.

Adrien looked at the flowers. ‘Thanks, My Lady. But three roses?’

Marinette stroked his cheek. ‘You’re not Hélène’s father, but you are raising her.’

‘Nathalie’s raising her.’

Marinette held his chin firmly between her thumb and index. ‘And so are we. Don’t get all Western nuclear family on me, understand? Maman’s already feeling testy.’

‘Very well, Madame Agreste.’

She tapped his nose. ‘Charmer.’

Adrien winked and took the roses. He set a hand on her six-month large belly. ‘How’s Hugo today?’

‘Suspiciously quiet.’

‘Must be tired from kicking all last night.’

Marinette laughed and tangled her fingers in his. ‘Come on up. My parents and Nathalie are waiting.’


	33. As a Phoenix from the Ash

‘It’s amazing, frankly that they’ve garnered this much support,’ said the stuffy British critic, huddling under an umbrella with Nadja Chamack. He turned up the collar of his pea coat. ‘Two years ago, the Agreste name was completely destroyed. They were in complete and utter ruins.’

Nadja Chamack nodded. ‘Do you think removing the company from the public view for two years was a wise move?’

‘Short term, it was the last word in stupidity. Shareholders pulled out and the stock was going for laughable prices. Long term, it was incredibly risky. What we see today,’ the critic motioned to the building behind them, ‘will determine if their gamble has paid off more than what they’ve already lost.’

Chloe flipped to another pair of talking heads on her phone.

The limousine turned a corner. The noise of Fashion Week could be heard through the car windows.

‘…As a business, as a family, Agreste Fashions has a reputation for pulling off the impossible. But any success will no doubt be completely due to the high appeal of superheroes right now,’ said an American talking head. Her frosted hair was hair sprayed within an inch of its life. ‘Even in Paris, sales have stayed steady only due to tourists.’

‘Can you turn that off?’ said Adrien

Chloe exited the app and pulled Hélène onto her lap.

‘See Maman?’ said the little girl. Her blonde, almost white, hair stuck up in two tiny pigtails on either side of her head.

‘We’ll see her soon.’ Chloe schooled her face into a serious look. ‘Promise to be good?’

Hélène held out a tiny finger. In English, she said, ‘Pinkie promise.’

Chloe wrapped her pinkie around the offered digit. She extended her other pinkie. ‘Louise?’

The dark-haired girl climbed over her father’s lap and carefully hooked her finger around her honorary aunt’s. ‘Pwomise.’ 

The limousine pulled to a stop.

Adrien’s hand tightened around his cane. ‘We’re here.’

The Gorilla opened the car door.

Adrien stepped out into a sea of noise and flashing cameras.

Nadja’s clear voice said, ‘And here’s Adrien Agreste in his first public appearance in two years!’

The Gorilla glowered at the paparazzi, daring them to press their luck.

The crowd kept a respectful distance.

Louise clung to her father’s hand. Big green eyes stared at the lights around them. Her face crumpled and tears formed in her eyes.

Immediately, Chloe swept out of the car and placed the little girl on her hip. Her cool blue eyes swept the circus, daring anyone to challenge her.

Hélène jumped out of the car with a squeal of delight and waved at everyone. She blew kisses at a group of photographers.

Adrien smiled at his sister. In a low tone, he said to Chloe, ‘Did you teach her that?’

‘Maybe.’ Chloe balanced Louise on one hip and took Hélène’s hand in hers.

She looked good for the cameras, gliding along in her stilettos while balancing the two children. She wore her hair up in a French twist, exposing the glittering diamonds at her ears and the burn scars on her face and neck.

Adrien walked alongside her, a real smile growing as they drew closer to the runway. He couldn’t wait to see Marinette’s designs in reality, to see her triumph as the new head of the family company.

Jagged Stone and Penny met them inside the venue. Jagged crouched down and held out his arms. ‘There they are! My favourite goddaughters!’

Hélène slipped her hand from Chloe’s and ran to the aging singer. ‘Papa!’

He threw her in the air before tickling her sides. ‘Not Papa; _Parrain_ , you goose!’

She grinned and wriggled around until she could see the rest of her family. ‘Where’s Maman?’

Penny said, ‘She’s backstage. You’ll see her soon.’ She picked up Louise and kissed the toddler’s cheeks. ‘Where’s Hugo?’

‘At home with Alya’s sister,’ said Adrien, leaning in for Penny to kiss his cheeks in greeting. ‘We thought five months is a little young for his first show.’

People turned and stared as Jagged’s laugh filled the room.

‘We’ll see you in a bit,’ said Chloe. ‘We need to drop the girls off. Marinette wants them for part of the show.’

Jagged planted a kiss on Louise’s cheek. ‘See you soon, little one.’

She waved goodbye to her godfather.

Chloe and Adrien found Sebastian, Nathalie’s long-suffering assistant, near the dressing areas.

‘Perfect timing,’ he said, running a hand over his thinning, slicked-back hair.

Louise practically jumped from Chloe to ‘Uncle Sebastian’.  

Hélène took his hand, and all three disappeared into the madness of the dressing area.

Chloe placed a hand on Adrien’s arm. ‘How are you feeling?’

He shook his head, breaking away from resurrected memories. ‘Is it weird if I say that I miss it a little?’

‘Not at all.’

‘Thanks.’ His thumb stroked the snarling cat’s head of his cane. ‘We should find our seats.’

With people stopping to speak to them, it was the better part of an hour before they sat down in their seats of honour.

Tom and Sabine were already waiting for the show to begin.

‘Where are the girls?’ said Tom, his hand clutching Sabine’s.

‘Backstage,’ said Adrien. ‘Marinette wants them for part of the show.’

Sabine frowned. ‘Are they going to be okay back there?’

‘Sebastian’s in charge of them. They’ll be fine.’ Adrien jerked his head towards his oldest friend. ‘If he doesn’t, Chloe’ll go in, nails blazing.’

Chloe’s eyebrows wriggled. She waved discreetly over the crowds.

Alya and Nino clambered over several sets of knees and grabbed their chairs. 

‘Is it always this crazy?’ said Nino.

‘Yes and no,’ said Adrien. ‘Everyone’s especially interested because of Marinette’s debut line and the re-emergence of the company.’

Music pumped through the speakers, rendering conversation useless.

Models in black velvet and white satin strode out, exhibiting the different designs. From white tie event to beach babe, one thing tied them together: Intricate, personalised embroidery.

The embroidery showed clearly against the simple backgrounds of stark white and deep black.

When the showstopper emerged, several people stood up, the better to see.

It was a wedding dress, simple yet dramatic. Delicate red ladybugs and tiny green paw prints lay scattered over the train, up the back, and down the model’s lace-covered arms. 

Adrien’s face split into a grin as the showstopper posed at the end of the catwalk. Pride rolled over him in waves as photographers went mental over the design.

The models had their final parade when a universal ‘Aw!’ filled the room.

Hélène, dressed in a simple white dress, strutted down the catwalk, one hand firmly clutching Nathalie’s. She stopped and blew kisses at the audience every three steps.

Celebrities and reporters alike waved at the tiny extrovert.

The room exploded with cheers and whistles when Marinette stepped out. Dressed in a white trouser suit and heels, she held her head high and surveyed the room with an eerily familiar sense of calm confidence.

Louise hid behind her leg and shook her head.

Marinette finally picked up her daughter and put her on her hip.

She made sure to lengthen her strides and kept her head up, shoulders back.

The crowd’s enthusiasm grew as she walked down the catwalk with a toddler on her hip.

Marinette stood with her models and bowed to the audience. She patted Louise’s leg and pointed to their family in the front row.

Adrien waved at them.

'Papa!' Louise waved to her father.

A collective ‘Aw!’ swept the room.

The little girl’s face turned pink, and she buried her face in her mother’s neck.

Marinette laughed and took a final bow before following her models backstage.

Alya gripped Nino’s arm. ‘She did it!’

Nino looked ready to burst with pride. ‘She’s Lady Luck. Do you expect anything less?’

 

 

‘There’s no way around this, folks!’ said Alec, his unlined face still gracing the cameras. ‘ _Miraculous_ is simply the best!’

Chloe flipped the TV to another channel.

Nadja Chamack said, ‘People are saying that _Miraculous_ and its designer Marinette Dupain-Cheng have proven themselves up to the test!’

Plagg jumped on the remote and changed the channel.

An especially poisonous American critic lounged in an armchair. ‘Calling it “Miraculous” is just too on the nose, and yet it works.’ She tossed her dark hair over her shoulder. ‘I mean, if you think about it, that company should have made like the _Titanic_ and sunk to some forgotten corner of Walmart with the leftover family disappearing to Australia.’

‘Boring!’ Plagg bounced on the remote.

‘…Threw down the gauntlet by releasing such a large collection all at once rather than several small collections to keep up with fast fashion industry—’

Chloe wrestled the remote away from Plagg and turned to a new channel.

‘Ugh! CNN? Really?’ The Kwami groaned. ‘They give me indigestion.’

‘They also have the latest updates for the stock market at this time,’ said Pollen.

Plagg eyed his sister. ‘The stock market?’

‘It’s important to my Queen’s livelihood and my supply of treats.’

‘…complete turnaround of fortunes! Agreste Fashions stock was worth practically pennies yesterday, but it’s skyrocketing with the positive press surrounding the new release and given the assurance of its new head designer…’

Adrien collapsed on the couch. His tie hung loose about his neck. ‘Are you still watching this crap?’

Chloe stuck her tongue out and changed the channel.

The high cheekbones of a preeminent French critic filled the screen. ‘Marinette Dupain-Cheng has completely destroyed her competition. To call it a slaughter would be kind.’

‘But is it kind, Estelle?’ said Nadja Chamack. ‘She had two years to prepare for this. Do you think she’ll be able to maintain this level of production?’

Marinette came in from the bedroom. She placed a hand on Adrien’s shoulder.

‘Absolutely,’ said Estelle. ‘She started simple, forced us to focus on something so detail-oriented that we’ll forgive and possibly even forget how simple the lines are. She has made embroidery, real, delicate embroidery, something that it hasn’t been seen for decades at this point. The world is hers, and she could ride for another five years on this success alone with minimal effort.’

Adrien’s hand squeezed Marinette’s.

Nadja laughed. ‘Knowing Marinette, she’s already working on next season’s show.’

‘No doubt.’ Estelle’s lips pursed for a moment before she said, ‘Gabriel would have been incredibly proud of her and her work.’

Marinette slid an arm over Adrien’s chest and kissed his cheek. ‘They’re forgetting my support group.’

‘Face it, My Lady,’ he nuzzled her cheek, ‘you’re the face of the brand now.’

‘Only because Louise was so shy,’ said Chloe. ‘Otherwise she and Hélène would be the face.’

Adrien’s hand flopped against his friend’s shoulder. ‘You did well out there, too.’

‘Don’t get used to it.’

‘Too late.’ He grinned. ‘I already have.’

Plagg rolled his eyes and tried to bounce on the remote again.

Tikki buzzed out of the girls’ bedroom and hugged Marinette’s cheek. ‘You did such a good job today.’

Marinette cradled the Kwami to her cheek. ‘Thanks, Tikki. I couldn’t have done it without any of you.’

Chloe checked her phone and put the remote on the table. ‘I need to go. Have a good night.’ She wriggled her eyebrows. ‘Try not to get too many noise complaints, oh celebratory designer.’

‘We soundproofed the apartment,’ said Adrien, wriggling his eyebrows.

‘Sounds investment,’ said Chloe. ‘Try not to get knocked up again, either.’

Marinette scowled.

Adrien made a rude gesture at his friend.

Chloe laughed and waved her fingers before striding out of the apartment.

Marinette squealed and bounced on her toes. ‘I did! I did it!’ She spun around the living room, narrowly avoiding tripping on toys and banging into furniture.

Adrien turned off the TV and pulled her close. ‘You did, My Lady.’ His hands ran lightly over her neck and collarbone. ‘You’re unstoppable.’

Marinette grinned. ‘I know.’ She tangled her fingers in his hair, smashing her face against his. ‘There’s a new player in town.’

Tikki cleared her throat. ‘You should go to bed soon.’

‘Oh, we will.’ Marinette caught her husband by the tie and pulled him close.

‘Gentle, My Lady,’ he panted.  

As they stumbled into the wall, nearly knocking a picture off, Tikki said, ‘Marinette!’

They stopped and looked at her.

‘Aren’t you forgetting something?’ Tikki buzzed over to Marinette. ‘You want a chance of the birth control working.’

Cheeks rosy from success and from endorphins, Marinette said, ‘Is there no other way?’

Tikki crossed her arms.

‘Not that you’ve found.’ Plagg shoved a piece of cheese into his mouth and swallowed.

‘But—’

Adrien’s thumb stroked Marinette’s chin. ‘Your body needs rest, Princess.’ He kissed her. ‘I love our children, but a little more of a break before the next one might be a good idea.’

‘But—’

Adrien removed his ring.

Marinette bit her lip before removing her earrings.

‘Plagg—’

‘Tikki—’

The jewellery rattled in their joined hands. ‘I renounce you. Temporarily.’

The Kwamis disappeared into their respective items.

Adrien set the jewellery on a shelf and wrapped his arms around Marinette. ‘Now, where were we?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I can't believe we're at the end. Thank you so, so much everyone who's read this and left comments. A big thank you to my flowersandsunshine for letting me bounce ideas off of her and massive thank you to my beta readers, Ashlen and Amanda. 
> 
> And now, I'm going to go back to Chapter 1 because at the time of posting even I haven't read the fic from start to finish. Cheers!


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